The Thing About Forever
by StarnightX
Summary: Pureblood vampire Soren Aria has been sent to Cross Academy against her will by her older brother, who has inherited her father's company. During her stay she discovers more about herself and her sibling rivalry. Implied ZeroxOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm a little afraid to post this story. This is my first Vampire Knight fanfiction ever. I got this idea after reading a lot of other VK fanfics and decided to give it a stab. I'm not sure what the pairing will be yet, ZeroxOC, IchijoxOC or maybe simply OCxOC, but the story is going to FOCUS mostly on my OC's life as a pureblood vampire. I'm not really sure if I want to go in a completely romantic direction yet.**

**This story isn't high on my priorities list. It's more like a side project, since I have other stories that I'd like to complete. So updates may take a while.**

**Please note that I haven't seen or read Vampire Knight in a long time, maybe three years, and that I have went on Wikipedia to find most of the information I need. If you see something wrong, like a glaring problem with someone's character, please let me know. Reviews will be greatly appreciated, so be sure to leave one.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Heels hit the pavement in a strong and sturdy pace. A pair of dress shoes followed, but the speed at which they walked wasn't nearly as fast. The young woman, who walked in the lead, radiated superiority to anyone who took one glance at her. She had an upright posture and her walk was that of grace and of purpose. Her outfit was a look of pure professionalism; a custom-made grey Armani suit tailored especially to fit the curves of a woman, a silver Rolex watch on her left wrist, and a black brief case in her right hand. She wore her crimson red hair pulled back in a tight bun, keeping it out of her obsidian colored eyes. Although a few strands of hair were left behind to frame her sharply heart-shaped face. Large designer glasses almost covered the top half of her face.

The man, who walked behind her, had nowhere near the same aura this woman gave off, but his looks were just as professional and awe-worthy. He wore suit pants, also made by Armani, a white dress shirt, grey vest and owned a silver pocket watch. His dark chocolate brown hair was combed back and matched the colors of his eyes almost exactly. The man carried a suitcase in one hand and pulled another suitcase in the other. Silently thinking that the back of his employer was rather boring to look at, he drew his attention to the west and took note of the setting sun, which had begun to create a mixture of red, orange and pink hues in the sky. "I don't think you'll make it in time for class, Aria-sama," the man said, judging by the time of day.

"You're correct Rino, and if I remember correctly your flirtations with the women in the airport is what has slowed us down." Aria responded without looking back.

"If you wanted me to stop, all you needed to do was drag me away."

"And make myself look like a fool in the process? I don't think so."

Rino chuckled. "My apologies, Aria-sama."

Aria remained silent and took out a piece of paper from her inner shirt, unfolding it once stepping foot onto the school campus. According to the map, the main office was a little to the left. Just as the two of them headed towards the building a man walked out towards them. His sandy blond hair was pulled back in a low ponytail and his glasses glinted in the setting sun. "Aria-chan!" He shouted and slowly jogged up to greet her.

"Cross-san, it has been a long time." She greeted him back kindly.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there to meet you at the front gate! I was too busy trying to decide what tea to serve you when you arrived. I know how much you love tea…"

"Thank you so much for your hospitality, but I assure you that it really isn't necessary."

"But it's so nice to have you here!" Cross threw an arm around her shoulder and began leading her towards the main office. He looked back at Rino, who was trying to stifle his laughter. "Oh, do you need help with the luggage?"

"Why, ye…"

Aria cut him off. "The reason why I brought him along was so that you wouldn't have to go through the trouble of carrying it, Cross-san."

"It's not a problem Aria-chan!" He took one of the suitcases from Rino, as Aria watched pursed lipped. "Come! Let's go inside." He led the way, singing joyfully to himself, while Rino and Aria followed.

"At least I know someone here isn't a slave driver," Rino muttered.

Aria smiled at her companion. "If you don't want to get hurt Rino, I suggest you shut up." She said through her teeth. Rino's skin tone paled slightly.

"You're just as threatening as ever Aria-chan. You won't be making any friends here with that attitude." Cross lectured her slightly, as though she was a child. She wisely decided to ignore this and Rino wisely disguised his laugh with a cough.

Upon entering the office, Aria let out a small smile as she breathed in the freshly brewed mint tea. Cross didn't fail to notice this sigh of content. "I knew you would appreciate it." Aria said nothing, but smiled and nodded her head. He returned the smile happily and sat behind his desk. Aria too sat down, but in front of the said desk and helped herself to the tea. After taking a small sip, she realized that Rino was still standing. "You may sit down Rino."

"Thank you Aria-sama." Rino bowed slightly, before relieving himself of the suitcase he carried and sitting down in a chair beside Aria.

"I don't think Kaname will approve of you having your own servant while you're here," Cross pointed out as he leaned a bit back in his chair.

"Rino won't be staying. I'll need him elsewhere." She replied cooly.

"I'm curious as to why you suddenly enrolled into this school. I believe the last time we spoke you laughed at the mere idea of a school with humans and vampires co-existing."

"Yes, I think it is a silly idea; however, I had no choice in the manner. My brother saw to that. He believes I should attend school for an 'education', even though I've already been taught by numerous private tutors."

"School won't be too bad. You should give it a chance before judging it. It'll give you a chance to socialize with other vampires." Cross advised, sensing her dislike with the fact that she was enrolled into Cross Academy.

"I suppose, but you can hardly blame me for believing that this may just prove to be a complete waste of time for me."

"I guess I can see where you're coming from." Cross sighed. "I assume you'd like to have a tour of the school?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could see my room. I'm a bit drowsy from my flight."

"I'm afraid you'll have to ask Kaname about that. He's head of the Moon Dorms and I have no idea which room he has assigned you."

"That's quite alright, although I'm a bit surprised. I expected Kuran-san to meet me upon my arrival as well."

"Well…" Cross started, looking away from her sheepishly. "You did call in saying you'd be here a day early, but I sort of forgotten to inform Kaname of this."

"Cross-san, you're as irresponsible as ever…"

"Can you blame me for forgetting! I was so excited to have you here!" He exclaimed, but his tone of voice soon turned solemn. "You, on the other hand, have changed quite a bit since I last saw you."

"A number of things have happened since I saw you last…besides, over time people are subject to change."

"Except me."

"Well, you aren't exactly like most people and you can take that as a compliment." Aria grinned. "Then again, if I remember correctly, you, yourself, were a vampire hunter many years ago."

"Yes, many years ago…"

"Headmaster!" A feminine voice shouted and opened the door. "What do you want Zero and I to do…" The girl's thought trailed off when she noticed the other two occupants in the headmaster's office. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't see…"

"Yuuki!" Cross shouted and exploded from his seat to hold his darling daughter in his arms. "I've told you so many times to call me 'Daddy'!"

Aria turned her head to see the girl who just walked in. "Ha, you didn't tell me you had a daughter…" Her cheery mood died off, when she got a good look at the girl that stood before her. The girl's brown hair and large brown eyes made her look so much similar to…

"Come here Yuuki!" Cross pulled her over to Aria. "You must meet the newest student of the Night Class."

"A new student?"

Aria recovered from her momentary shock and stood up, easily standing taller than Yuuki. "My name is Soren Aria. It's nice to meet you, Yuuki-san."

"**I'm **very pleased to meet you as well, Yuuki-chan." Rino had moved in, rather quickly, to kneel before Yuuki and had taken hold of her hand.

"Rino." Aria snapped at him. He glared up at her, but stood up and returned to her side. "You'll have to excuse him Yuuki-san. Sometimes he can't help himself when he's in the presence of a cute girl such as yourself. Isn't that right Rino?" Aria asked him smiling.

"That's right Aria-sama." He agreed, flashing back the same false smile. "I love how cute Yuuki looks in her school uniform." Aria didn't hesitate to stomp on his foot.

"Tell me Yuuki-san, will I have to wear the same uniform?" Aria asked.

Red began to arise on Yuuki's cheeks. "Yes, but Night Class uniforms are white instead of black."

Aria laughed. "How ironic."

"Yuuki," Cross interjected. "Where is Zero? I'd like you two to give Aria a brief tour of the grounds."

Yuuki opened her mouth to say something, but Aria spoke first. "Who's Zero?"

"Oh he's a Guardian of the school, like Yuuki here. They both grew up under my care!" Cross patted said girl on the head.

"I believe the one you call 'Zero' is standing outside the doors." Rino pointed out.

Cross strode over to the door and looked into the hall. "Zero! There you are! What in the world are you doing standing out here for? Come in! I want you to meet our new student." Cross dragged the unwilling teenage boy into the room to much of Aria's amusement.

He was a good looking boy: tall, gray-silver hair and light lavender eyes. He wore a black Day Class uniform, making Aria slightly confused. How could he be part of day class when he wasn't even human? She walked up to him curiously and noticed malice in his eyes. Slowly she circled around him, looking him up and down. "So this is…Cross Zero?"

"Kiryuu." He grumbled.

"Hmm?"

"I'm Kiryuu Zero." He introduced himself, still glaring at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed that Cross-san had more children he hasn't told me about." She said grinning.

Cross piped up. "I'll have you know they're both adopted so don't go thinking strange things about me!"

"Of course not…but I feel like you've been keeping many things from me, Cross-san."

"Anyways…Zero, I'd like you and Yuuki to," Cross started.

"No," came the one word response.

"But you don't even know what I'm going to say!" Cross whined.

"It's fine Cross-san. I'm sure Yuuki can handle giving me a tour of the school on her **own**. Won't you Yuuki-san?" Aria looked over at the shorter girl.

Zero's eyes narrowed. "Actually, I think it'd be better if…"

"No, no, no! There's absolutely no need to trouble yourself! After all, you probably don't want to even think about spending another minute with me." She smirked at him knowingly.

"Now, let's not get hateful with each other," Cross stepped in between the two, noticing Zero's growing animosity. The young male's eyes pierced daggers that the female vampire, while Aria still had a grin on her face, being sure that Zero could see her fangs.

"I see we understand each other perfectly. Let's go Yuuki-san." She took Yuuki's hand.

"Uh…o-okay!"

"You're free to go now, Rino. I'm sure Yuuki-san can take care of me from here on."

"Yes, Aria-sama," he bowed. "I hope you enjoy your time here and I wish for your safe return."

"What's this?" She wondered as Rino made his way to the door. "I thought I was a 'slave driver'…"

Her servant paused at the doorway. "My job is to protect you and to serve you faithfully, Aria-sama. I live to protect you. I live to serve you. My reason for living is you." He exited the room.

"Disgusting." Zero sneered under his breath at the other man's loyalty.

Aria glanced over at Zero. "I find your inability to be polite even more disgusting, Zero." She turned to Yuuki. "Come; let's start the tour, shall we?"

"R-Right!"

"Cross-san, I'll be leaving my bags here. Maybe Kuran-san will be here to lead me to my room by the time I get back."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay! Second chapter! Just a reminder I haven't read or watched Vampire Knight in a while. So bear with me if I make some sort of weird mistake. Please REVIEW and tell me what you think!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

The cool night air nipped at Yuuki's face as she walked beside the new night class student. She had never seen a vampire like her. The bold colored hair that matched a crimson sky and professional business apparel was a new look Yuuki has never seen on a vampire before. Then again, most of the vampires Yuuki has seen were students of Cross Academy, who mainly wore the night class uniform. Yuuki glanced up at Aria, who was wearing sunglasses and held her head high. Needless to say, Yuuki was a bit intimidated and the fact that Aria hadn't spoken since they left the Headmaster's office didn't help either.

"Do you have a library at this school?" Aria asked smoothly.

"Y-yes. It's down this way." Yuki began to lead the way and found the opportunity to finally start a conversation. "Do you like to read Aria-san?"

"From time to time, yes."

"I can show you some of my favorite books if you want! I don't read much, but…"

"I've probably read the books you're thinking of a thousand times before, after all I've had a lot of time to do so." Aria grinned. "Thank you for your kindness. I'd like to see which books you'd like to suggest."

Yuuki wasn't sure if the older girl was teasing her or not, yet she found herself smiling back anyway. Yuuki knew that she should behave more warily around the newcomer, but she couldn't seem to help herself. There was a certain aura about Aria. It made her different from the other vampires. It even reminded her a bit of Kaname.

The guardian opened the double doors to the library. Yuuki skipped off to find the books she was talking about previously. "Here they are!" She handed two books to Aria. Aria read the titles and glanced back up at Yuuki. Her expression was unchanging. "Is there something wrong?" Yuuki asked worried.

"No, you just remind me of someone I used to know, that's all. She looked just like you. You have her hair and her eyes." She rested a hand atop Yuuki's head.

"Where is she now?" The young day class student asked, her brown eyes staring up at Aria with such innocence.

Aria was quiet for a moment before answering. "She's dead."

"Aria." A male's voice calmly sounded and the owner had Aria's hand in his grasp. He removed her hand from Yuuki's head.

Aria's lips parted slowly, before the corners of her mouth turned up into a smile. "Kuran-san, there's no need to worry. I know better than to harm this girl."

"Do not touch her."

"From now on I won't. How could I ever be so rude to my host and not obey his wishes?"

Kaname released Aria from his grip. "Yuuki, you can go back to your duties. I'll serve as Aria's guide from now on." He said, in an evidently kinder tone.

"Okay, Kaname-senpai." There was the slightest hint of a blush on her face, before she bowed and ran off. Kaname watched her as she went.

"What's special about her?" Aria asked.

"She's the most important person in the world."

Aria scoffed. "Way to cut to the chase, but I already knew that. I want to know why."

"I don't need to explain myself to you."

She slightly narrowed her eyes. "I'll eventually find out why that human girl means something to you."

"As may everyone else." He said with a hint of a smirk, causing her to full out glare at him. "I'm glad to see you've arrived here safely." He sat down in one of the highly furnished chairs present in the room.

"And I'm glad to see you in good health." She casually replied and too decided to sit down. They were quite for a moment before Kaname continued. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, but your words are merely formality."

"I do mean it Aria. Your father was good man."

"If I recall correctly, **your** father didn't approve of my father's decision to leave this country and I dare say you hold the same opinion as your father," She reminded him.

"Yes, you're right." Kaname admitted. "Your father's actions may as well have put a shame on purebloods and the Vampire Council; he was cowardly, leaving for his own sake."

Aria could feel the other pureblood's animosity, even though he hid it well. "He wasn't cowardly; he was selfish. If he had stayed, he may have been able to help your family, but he had his own family to protect. I sincerely apologize on his behalf." Kaname turned his attention to a window and Aria followed his gaze. "The moon is quiet full tonight." She commented briefly.

"What has happened to your father's company?" Kaname asked.

"My brother inherited it, all of it."

"Really?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes," She said through her teeth. Clouds moved along with the breeze outside, covering the moon from view. The room grew colder. "I almost couldn't believe it. After all I'm the one who spent the most time with Father. I'm the one who knows best how to run the company. All my brother has done is flirt around with human girls. I'm more than capable for the job."

"Of course you are, which is why I find it strange why you've decided to enroll into this school."

"I didn't decide, my mother did. Brother dearest suggested it to her. She obviously listened."

"Well, please don't allow your negativity to affect classes."

"You know I wouldn't **dream** of displeasing you."

"Has the Headmaster gone over the school rules with you yet?"

"I received a rule handbook, but you know as well as I that it won't be opened until…well, never."

"I'll warn you now and I'll warn you once. Feeding on the humans here is strictly forbidden and you may not be on school grounds during the day."

"This school doesn't seem to be very productive in the promotion of vampire and human relations. How are we supposed to befriend humans when we can't be anywhere near them?" She asked and he gave her a look. "You know I'm capable of controlling my thirst. You have nothing to worry about. Do you take me for a Level E?"

"Our goal, at the moment, is to live among them." He threw her a tin box.

She pulled a frown. "These are those disgusting tablets, aren't they? Animals' blood would be better than these." She rotated the box, examining it from all sides. "Does the boy have these?"

"What boy?"

"You know what boy. The one with silver hair; I believe he works alongside Yuuki. I've also noticed that he's a Day Class student. Is there a reason why he's an exception to the rules?"

"Nothing gets passed you, does it?"

She smiled. "Just answer the question."

"Kiryuu Zero is a human turned vampire, a Level D."

Aria raised an eyebrow. "I never took you to be the kind of person to do such a thing."

"It wasn't me who bit him." He gazed at her with his half-lidded eyes. "That's all I have to say on the matter."

"Fine, I'll figure out the rest for myself."

They sat quietly in prolonged silence simply staring at each other. It has been a while since she had been able to spend time with another vampire about the same age as her, which wasn't really a surprise seeing that there weren't many purebloods. She had known of Kuran Kaname pretty much since the day she was born and has been his...friend, for lack of better term, for at least a thousand years or more. He had a comforting presence about him; it was something that she became familiar with over the years, which was why she was a bit wary of the Kaname that sat before her. He was different now. Of course, she had changed much as well.

Aria decided to speak. "So can I be shown to my room now? I'm rather tired."

"I still have classes to go to. You may join me now if you…"

"No thanks. I'd rather not cause a scene. Do the other students even know I'm here?"

"I wasn't going to tell them of you until after classes tonight, but they've probably noticed your presence already."

"Are they all loyal to you?" She asked, head tilted slightly.

"Yes."

She looked away and sighed. "How lovely, if you don't mind I'd rather wait back at the Headmaster's office, until I may be shown to my room."

"Frightened?"

"Of you? No. Your followers? Hardly. I just rather not have to deal with them right now. I know they'll be less than trusting of my presence here." She stood up and Kaname followed suit. "There's no need to escort me back. I know the way perfectly from here on my own."

"Of course…I'll send someone to escort you to your room in the Moon Dorms momentarily."

"Thank you Kuran-san."

"Why don't you call me Kaname? We've known each other for such a long time."

"Yes…but as time goes on, people change. Good night." She gave him a small sort of curtsy, before making way to leave the room. Kaname watched her, unmoving, until she was finally out the door. It was then that he too left the library.

The crisp air met her face and she took in a big breath and exhaled. The sound of her heels echoed in the halls as she made her way outside, towards the main office building. Aria hadn't even taken two steps outside before she heard a metal click. "Zero…so nice to meet you again, though I must admit this current situation is rather uncomfortable for me." She greeted the male guardian, who held his Bloody Rose to her head.

"Don't say my name so casually, Filth." Zero growled.

"I'd like to inform you," Aria started calmly. "That I happen to be a pureblood vampire. I'm nothing close to filth as compared to…oh let's say a Level D vampire? Then again, you could be a Level E for all I know." She laughed; her laughter was almost as cold as the night air.

"Give me one good reason not to pull the trigger."

"I'm a pureblood. Your silly little gun, may hurt me, but it'll take a lot more than that to kill me. As far as I'm concerned I have done nothing wrong to you nor have I broken any of the school rules. The fact that you're attacking me for no good reason would essentially be going against your duties as a 'guardian'."

"Where's Yuuki?"

"I don't know."

"You…don't know?"

"We were in the library when Kuran came in. He sent Yuuki away to perform her 'usual duties' whatever they may be. If I were you, I wouldn't waste my time. I'd be looking for Yuuki. Who knows where Kuran went after I finished speaking with him? He seems to be quite fond of the girl and she seems quite fond of him as well…" She could feel his glare and couldn't help but smirk.

He nudged the back of her head with the tip of his gun. "Shut it."

"Oh, a touchy subject?"

"Soren-sama!" A voice shouted as the clash of metal on metal rang through the night air, before them stood the Night Class' Vice President. He stood up straight and sheathed his blade. "I suggest you put away your gun, Kiryuu-kun. Soren-sama meant no harm."

"No harm?"

"No harm physically at least." Aria specified. "And who might you be?" She asked the blond Night Class student.

"Ichijo Takuma, I'm the Vice President of the Night Class."

"Ichijo?" She repeated for clarification. "This Academy gets more interesting by the second…"

Ichijo ignored this. "Kaname has asked me to escort you to your room."

"Of course, we'll have to stop by the headmaster's office to retrieve my luggage first." Ichijo led the way. "Until we meet again, Zero." Aria winked before following Ichijo. It wasn't until they were about half way near the office when she realized she was still holding the two library books Yuuki had given to her. Aria sighed. She'll have to return the books to the library tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: My oh my, I believe it has been a while. Well, here's another chapter for those who've waited...I'm kind of tempted to throw Vampire Knight's plot out the window...but I'm not sure yet. I'm usually kinda uncomfortable about throwing the original plot out. What do you guys think I should do?**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy and please leave a review!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

Soren Aria rolled around in her bed restlessly. Finally, with a groan, she sat up in bed, pushing her red hair out from her face. She glanced at the clock atop her bedside table: twelve thirty in the afternoon. It was much too early to wake up. Silently Aria cursed her jet lag and rolled out of bed. Once she was up, she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. Licking her lips, she walked over to her faucet and got herself a cup of water. She took out a couple of blood pills; they plopped into the water one by one, changing the clear liquid into a dull red color. She frowned at the cup, but gulped down the bland liquid anyway. After finishing the entire cup, she stuck out her tongue in dislike. These blood pills were nothing compared to actual blood. Aria then changed into her uniform, pulled her hair up into a ponytail and put on her designer glasses. Since she was up, she might as well drop by the library and return the books she took. She knew it was a rule that vampires weren't allowed on the school grounds during the day, especially while Day Class was in session, but she really didn't want to wait up in her room all day for night to fall. Prepared for the punishment that would await her when she returned to her dorm, Aria drew back the curtains that blocked out the sun and exited her room through the window.

For some reason the sun seemed rather bright that day, even though Aria wore her shades. Stifling a yawn, she decided that it was because she didn't sleep very well. The walk across the bridge towards the academy was uneventful. Other than the chirping of birds, it was a sunny quiet day. Hopefully, the Day Class students were still in class, more specifically Zero and Yuuki. If she was caught by the school's "guardians" she'd surely be reported, unless it was Yuuki. She may be able to convince Yuuki otherwise, but Zero…

As she approached the academy, she was relieved to see that the halls were empty. Walking a little faster, she made her way to the library. She found herself worrying that someone may hear her footsteps in the hall; they seemed to echo in her own ears or perhaps she was simply being paranoid. "Hey!" Someone shouted. "Hey you!" She stopped in her steps and cursed before turning to face whoever it was who was calling her. To her relief, it wasn't Zero or Kuran; it was an ordinary Day Class student. He was about three or four inches taller than she was, had short and spiky black hair, and hazel eyes. He ran up to her. "You're from Night Class aren't you? You shouldn't be here right now…"

"You're right." She held out her two books. "I wanted to return these to the library. I accidentally took them out of the library, without actually checking them out."

"Oh, I see. I'm here to turn in a book too. Apparently, it's overdue." He sweat dropped. "Umm, I'm not really sure how to say this….are you…new here or have I just never seen you around?"

"Yes, I'm a new student. I only just arrived here last night."

"Ah, um, are you nervous?" Aria laughed at his question, making the human boy feel a bit silly. "W-well," the boy started. "I guess you're not really nervous. I mean, of course you wouldn't be since you're so pretty….ACK! That's not what I meant…"

Aria continued to smile at this boy's bashfulness. "I'm Soren Aria."

The boy was thankful for her interruption. "I'm Takeda Izo, 2nd year."

"It's nice to meet you, Takeda-san. Would you like to accompany me to the library then?"

"Uh, yeah…I mean, yes! Let's go!" He led the way. "So, Soren-san, what year are you exactly?"

He noticed the change in her facial expression. "I'm enrolled as a 1st year."

"R-really? You seem older than that! Not that I think you look old or anything, you just look really mature and stuff…I'm not saying you got held back or anything, but…"

"It's okay, Takeda-**senpai**."Aria couldn't help but giggle as Izo looked away with a blush on his cheeks.

They continued walking to the library in silence. Aria was amused with Izo's behavior, while Izo was silently dying of humiliation. He felt like such a fool around this Night Class student and she was a year below him. Izo held the library door open for Aria. She gave a quiet thank you and went inside. She was met by a cool wave of air. There weren't very many people inside, perhaps one or two scattered here and there. No one took notice of their arrival, so they went to the front desk. The librarian was a stern old woman and she glared at Aria from behind her glasses. "Night Class students aren't supposed to be out right now."

"I know, but I've come to return these two books I took from here yesterday. I didn't mean to take them with me; I apologize for any trouble I may have caused."

The librarian took the books from Aria. "So this is where these two books went. Well, Miss…."

"Soren Aria."

"Miss Soren, please read over the Library's Policy in the Student Handbook. If you take any books out of this library without properly checking them out, then you will be punished."

"I understand perfectly mam."

"Speaking of punishment," the old woman turned to Izo. "**You're **probably here to return **another **late book."

Izo flashed a guilty smile. "Yes, well…" He handed his book to the librarian, who snatched away. "Today, after school, you'll come here and help return books to the proper shelves."

"What! Can't you just fine me or something?"

"I've fined you for the past four times you've returned your books late. Besides, it's not like I'm getting any younger. I need a young, healthy body to do some of the physical labor for me."

Aria laughed at the old woman's tactics, while Izo groaned and left the library. Aria waved goodbye to the librarian. She jogged a bit to catch up to Izo. "So, is this a usually occurrence for you?"

"What? Returning books late? Yes. I like to read from time to time. I'm also on the school's track and field team, so between practice, studying and eating, I don't have a lot time to do anything else. So, I end up keeping books longer than I'm supposed to. Actually I tend to be a bit forgetful sometimes…"

"Forgetful? Well, you won't forget me will you?"

"W-what are you talking about? Of course I wouldn't…" He stuttered.

Aria grinned to herself. He was fun to tease. "I have to return to my dorms now. Hopefully we can meet again, Takeda-senpai."

"Ah, yeah, I'll see you later then." He gave a small wave goodbye, before walking back to his classroom. Aria stood there watching him leave, laughing to herself when he glanced back at her, only to quickly look away. As soon as he was out of a sight, a whirl of wind came and Aria disappeared on the spot.

When she reappeared a slightly panicked Ichijo stood in her bedroom. "Soren-sama! Where were you!"

"Outside, I had to return a couple of books to the library."

"You went outside! Soren-sama, it's forbidden for Night Class students to…"

"Please don't take me for a lowly vampire with an uncontrollable thirst." Aria cut him down annoyed. The cup she drank out of earlier cracked. Ichijo flinched and Aria's iciness melted. "Now look what you made me do, Ichijo-san. I should let you know that I'm not like Kuran. I'm calm and collected most of the time, but I'm not nearly as calm, collected, or as closed off as Kuran. Please leave, unless there is a reason why you're here?"

Ichijo smiled. "Kuran was worried about you, so he sent me to check on you."

"Worried that I've broken any rules? It's nice to see that he somewhat trusts me, since he didn't come to check on me himself. Please keep my little outing a secret from Kuran. I assure you that I'm probably the least of his worries."

"That's impossible for me to do, Soren-sama." Ichijo apologized, still smiling. "I have my orders from Kuran."

Aria sighed. "It was worth a try." She stripped her jacket, after drawing her curtains closed, and laid down on her bed. "You may leave now. I'm going back to sleep."

Ichijo gave a small bow before leaving her room. As he opened the door, it bumped into something, or rather someone. Aido Hanabusa sat on the floor, on the other side of the door. Aido's cousin, Kain Akatsuki, stood a little ways away. Ichijo quickly slipped out of the room and closed the door. "Aido! You shouldn't be here right now. You're lucky Soren-sama didn't come out."

"I just want to see this woman!"

"You'll see her when we go to class tonight. Kaname told you this already last night."

"But still! Who does this new pureblood think she is?"

"You realize she can probably hear every word you're saying?"

"Kain, why didn't you stop Aido from coming here?"

"Why is this my fault?"

"It's no one's fault!" Aido declared. "No one has gotten in trouble yet, so everything's okay." He sped off down the hall and Kain wisely followed at a brisk walk.

Just then the door creaked open, making Ichijo jump. Aria stood there, her door only partially opened. Her hair was out of its ponytail, covering some of her face. Her half-lidded eyes were hypnotizing, and Ichijo found it hard to focus on anything else. "Ichijo-san, could you please not talk to yourself so loudly?"

"I-I wasn't talking to myself!" He said hastily.

She laughed softly. "I know. I'm only kidding. Please let the loud one know not to speak so loudly next time he decides to chat outside my door." Aria's room door than closed with a soft shut.

A knock on the door awoke Aria from her short slumber a few hours later. Groggily, she rustled around in her sheets a bit before sitting up. "Come in," she moaned. In walked the pureblood devil himself. For a moment Aria thought she was dreaming, but then realized that she was at Cross Academy. Her sleepy mood grew dark, it was probably time for class now…

"Aria, it's time to get up." He sat down at the end of her bed.

"I know…" She kicked off the covers.

"You've already changed into your uniform." Kaname observed.

Aria gazed down at her clothes. "Great…now they're wrinkled." She stood up from the bed and attempted to smooth out the wrinkles in her uniform. "Good thing I took off the jacket first then, ne?"

Kaname wasn't amused. "Why are you changed?" His eyes bore into hers.

She didn't back down or look away. "I went outside earlier today. I had to return a couple of library books I accidentally took with me into my dorm."

"Just because you're a pureblood doesn't mean you can break the rules."

"Well, don't think I'll be listening to everything you say simply because you're the one in charge here."

Kaname sighed. "I'll let it slide this time, but please don't allow this to happen again."

"I won't be making any promises, but I'll do my best." She pinned her hair up into a tight bun and slipped on her uniform jacket.

"For your own sake, please don't do anything foolish. You're behaving like a child." Kaname stood up as well.

"Well, forgive me, but I'm not really accustomed to being ordered around…" She pulled a face of disgust, when she realized this was probably what her brother wanted. He was forcing her to succumb to another pureblood. "Kuran, have you been in contact with my brother lately?"

She could see the smirk in his eyes and it only fueled her anger. "Yes, I have, but now we must leave for class."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Another chapter for you lovely people. Sorry for not updating so often, but hey, I'm busy and what not. Be sure to send me REVIEWS, maybe include what kind of pairing you'd like to see. I may take your opinion into consideration, but there's no guarantee. ;) Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter. REVIEW**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

Soren Aria did her best to keep her anger under wraps. She wasn't so much angry at Kaname as she was at her brother. On one hand she could see him doing something like this, but on the other hand she just couldn't believe it. How could her overly flirty nonchalant brother even think about doing something like this?

"You're angry," Kaname noticed as he walked beside her. The two were on their way to leave the Moon Dorms and meet the rest of the Night Class students.

"Can you blame me?" She said, not denying the fact. Was there anyone left in this world she could trust?

As the two purebloods approached the top of the staircase the whispers of the Night Class died down. All eyes were focused on the couple. Kaname cleared his throat. "I'd like to introduce Soren Aria." He motioned towards the red head beside him.

Everyone present waited for the female pureblood to speak. However, she didn't want to say anything; she didn't want to speak to these people and most certainly didn't want to be at this school. The seconds dragged on until she finally spoke. "I look forward to spending this school year with you." Much to everyone's surprise, she bowed before descending the staircase. The various vampires separated, allowing her to pass with ease.

"Wait a minute!" A familiar loud voice shouted.

Aria stopped and couldn't retain a smirk. "You sound very familiar," She started, without turning around to face the vampire who called her out. "Could it be? Are you the one who was speaking to Ichijo-san outside my room's door?"

"Ack..ah…uh…"

Aria cooly turned her head to feast eyes on the loud vampire: golden blonde hair, electric blue eyes, and a couple inches taller than she was. "You're a cute one, aren't you?"

The vampire ignored his previous flustered feelings. "What's up with the sunglasses? Why don't you show your face?"

"Do find me untrustworthy? Perhaps suspicious?" She wondered. She fingered the sides of her designer shades before allowing her hand to fall to her side. "I wear them because I like them."

"Aidou," Kaname finally cut in. "Let's not be rude."

Aria began to walk towards the door only to be stopped again. "Hold it, Kaname-sama always goes first." The vampire who stopped her this time was a female with tan brown hair and darker brown eyes.

"Of course." Aria repressed the urge to roll her eyes. She stepped aside to allow Kaname to pass her. Instead walking past her, he stopped beside her and held out his arm, which she took only out of politeness. The female vampire, who stopped her previously, hissed softly with displeasure. Although Aria knew that grinning wasn't exactly the wisest thing to do at this point, since it would only make this female vampire angrier, she did anyways. Her grin soon faded when she heard a strange noise in the distance.

The group of vampires leisurely approached the gate. As they got closer, the shouts and squealing grew louder. Aria concluded that this must have been the source of the strange noise she heard earlier before. "Who on Earth is making that noise?" Aria finally asked Kaname, who walked on her left.

"The Day Class. Don't pay much mind to it. This happens every night."

"Every….night?"

They finally walked through the gates and the noise level quickly erupted.

"KYAA! Idol-senpai! Idol-senpai!"

"Akatsuki-senpai! Look this way!"

"Kaname-senpai! Kaname-senpai!"

"Oi, oi! Everyone get back!" Aria noticed this voice. It was poor little Yuki, trying, and rather failing, to keep the crowd of female Day Class students back.

"Eh? Who's that!" One of the human girls pointed at Aria, who was still clinging onto Kaname's arm.

"A new night class student!"

"What's your name?" One girl boldly asked.

"Soren Aria…"

"What are you to Kaname-senpai?" Another one dared to ask.

Aria's eye twitched. These humans were nerve-wracking. "Absolutely nothing." Aria answered through gritted teeth. "Now will you please move? You're in my way." She asked coldly and the girls parted like the red sea. She released Kaname's arm and strode down the path. She didn't care if she was being bitchy, but she didn't want to deal with this nonsense. Disregarding what the female vampire told her before they left the dorms, Aria walked ahead of Kaname. _"It's not like I don't know where the bloody school is."_

As she walked ahead, she noticed Zero, leaning against a tree, and walked right past him without a second glance. Ahead, there was a figure, which seemed to be walking quickly away. They wore a day class uniform and, much to her surprise, Aria recognized who it was. She ran to catch up to him with ease. "Takeda-sen…"

Izo turned to see Aria being held back by the male guardian of Cross Academy: Kiryuu Zero. "Kiryuu! What are you doing?" Izo asked in shock.

"Yes Zero. What are you doing? Release me." Aria said to him.

"You should be going straight to class." He growled in response.

Aria, in return, responded more coldly than Zero. "Yes, I just wanted to have a word with Takeda-senpai. What's wrong with that?"

"Yeah, Kiryuu. Let her go. She isn't hurting anyone." Izo tried reasoning with the silver haired boy.

"Hasn't hurt anyone yet." Zero muttered underneath his breath, but Izo didn't catch it. He reluctantly released Aria from his firm grasp.

"So Takeda-senpai, what are you doing here anyways? Shouldn't Day Class students be in their dorms by now?"

Izo blushed lightly and looked away. "Well, I had detention at the library today after classes and that witch kept me in this late. Since I was already going back to the dorms, I thought I'd stop by to see you…and maybe walk you back to the school…"

Aria smiled. "That's so sweet of you, but I don't think Zero here will put up with that."

Zero frowned. "Of course I wouldn't. I think that's enough though. Takeda go back to the Sun Dorms or I'll give you a detention."

Izo glared at him. "I don't give a damn if you're a guardian or not. I'm still your senpai, so show **some** sort of respect. I'll see you later Soren-san." With that, Izo headed back towards his dorms.

Aria chided Zero. "Tsk, tsk, Zero. You should know better to respect your senpais."

"Shut up."

"Thank you Kiryuu-san for keeping Aria under control." The voice that spoke was none other than Kaname.

"I doubt anything would have happened if Zero wasn't here."

Kaname ignored Aria. "You know better than to flirt with a human."

"That wasn't exactly flirty. I was being friendly and since when was I forbidden to speak to humans?" She asked.

"The moment you stepped foot onto this school." Zero growled.

Aria ignored the guardian. "Besides Kuran-san, if I remember correctly you talk to Yuki all the time and she's human."

"Yes, but I do not flirt with her as you do with Ikeda. I'm very serious when I speak to Yuki."

"This…is a pointless conversation." Aria continued on her way to the school and Kaname followed then after, a slight smirk on his face. There was one common fact about Kaname and Zero; Aria didn't really like either of them.

Aria kept to herself, in the back left corner of the classroom. Class was quite a bore and nobody seemed to be paying any attention to their teacher, who was talking about a subject Aria could care less about. She was sure she'd be able to ace any test the teacher would give her later on, so she focused on what she was doing on her laptop. On the screen was a webpage entitled: "CEO of SOREN Passed Away: Son Steps in Place". The article itself went a little something like this:

_A month has passed since the sudden and unexpected death of Damani Soren, who was until recently the CEO of the fashion label and magazine SOREN. Soren has held this position for more than 50 years, keeping himself well hidden from the public eye. The previous vice president of the company, Soren's own son Dario Soren, has taken his father's place as the CEO. Some question Dario's ability to run the multi-million dollar company. With his notorious playboy lifestyle, it's easy to see where the public's wariness comes from. However, the top company advisors assure that Dario is more than qualified for the position…_

Aria closed the window. Of course the advisors would say that; they were only B-ranked after all. The article had gone on to discuss the history of SOREN and a few ideas Dario had for the company's future. She couldn't help but scoff. He may have been the vice president, but he barely got any work done. His secretary would constantly complain about how Dario would be off somewhere with a girl instead of working in the office. Even so, there was a big difference between being a vice president and being a CEO. Aria had observed her father at work on a regular basis. She knew how things were supposed to work and the need for new ideas and innovation. She truly believed that if her father were to ever step down from his position of CEO, he would name her to take his place, but instead he chose…

She closed her laptop and tucked it away in her bag. Pushing back and out of her chair, she then proceeded to leave the room. "Soren-sama," The teacher said. "Class is not over yet."

"I'm not feeling well. I'll be returning to my dorm now." She said without hesitation or a glance back at the teacher. She simply left the room.

As she walked the empty halls, her cell phone began to ring. Sighing, she paused to answer it. "Yes?"

"Aria-sama."

"Rino, what is it?"

"Your brother is sharper than he looks. He's suspicious of me and my intentions."

"Yes, well you are my most loyal servant. Does he suspect that I wish to sabatoge the company or something along those lines?"

"He never said it outright, but I guess you could assume those are along the lines of his suspicions."

"No wonder he sent me off, to keep distance between the SOREN headquarters and myself. I don't see a point in that. I can still access important company data and charts."

"Only to an extent of course. In order to gain full access, you must access the database from one of the computers inside the office itself."

"I realize that Rino, but what I have access to at the moment is good enough for now."

"Of course, Aria-sama."

There was a moment of silence. "Is there anything else you'd like to report Rino?"

Rino was quiet for a moment before speaking up. "Your older sister has been very kind to me recently."

Aria scoffed. "Because I'm not there. You know your place Rino. Nothing good will come from having feelings for Renia; she's off limits. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Aria-sama."

"Good and I know I'm sounding horrible to you right now, maybe I am." Aria hadn't stopped walking the entire time she was on the phone and now found herself outside on a terrace. "This sounds selfish, but how could you still serve me as my servant if you and my sister began a relationship? I don't know what I'd do without you Rino."

"You have Kuran-sama with you. I'm sure you're doing just fine."

"Tch…" She glared at the air, as though glaring at Rino. "He's been in contact with brother dearest. I'm not exactly happy with him at the moment."

"Forgive me for saying this, but you loved him once…some of the older servants in the household whisper about it…" Rino pushed.

"Once…a long, long time ago." Aria's voice suddenly sounded distant, before reverting back to normal. "I'm sure every female vampire that has had the chance to meet him fall in love with him at first sight. I admit that I was no exception…"

"And if **you** were to fall in love, what would I do without you Aria-sama?" Rino threw back her previous question back at her.

Aria thought a moment before responding. "As a servant your duty is to wait for me to return to you. I've only ever fallen in love twice Rino, and neither relationship lasted as long as I would have liked."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short. If you're interested in other stories by me, just check out my profile. It's only a click away. I'm very sorry if Zero seems OOC...I wasn't really sure what his personality is like...he just seems like a downer all the time, but I need to make him talk sometimes you know? Anyways, please review!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

Aria didn't give Rino some sort of farewell, before she hung up her cell phone. She turned her head to the right only to face the end of a certain guardian's gun. "Is this the way you'll greet me every time you meet me? With violence?"

"You should be in class," voiced the male guardian.

"I was, but then I left. It was a bore and a waste of my time. I'll pass my exams with ease anyways."

"You're not allowed to roam the school at night out of your free will." Zero told her, his gun unwavering.

"But that's what you guardians are for: to watch over those who break the rules. Face it. I'm not going to move no matter how much you wave that silly little gun of yours around. If you're so worried about me attacking someone, then just stay here with me. I honestly could care less if you're here or not. I have some things to think about, so just keep quiet." She said, peering at him from underneath her sunglasses.

Zero was glaring at her, which wasn't really surprising, but allowed himself to lower his gun. His grip, however, didn't loosen on the handle. "The sun isn't out." He pointed out.

Aria fingered her sunglasses, which were still on her face. "What's this? Do you wish to look into my eyes?" She teased. Before Zero could say anything to refute that, she pushed her shades up so that they were now resting on the top of her head. "But I wonder if you can see them in the dark?" She wondered aloud. "Then again, you're a vampire as well. So you should be able to…"

Her eyes pierced into his and he took in the color of her eyes. They weren't a jaw dropping color and nor would they make someone's heart melt. They were a cold black. "I'm nothing like you."

Aria didn't bother trying to hide the fact that she was rolling her eyes. "You're right; you're beneath me, Level D." This comment caused Zero to raise his gun again, causing Aria to sigh. "I don't know what your problem is with vampires or what other vampires may have done to you in the past, but I think I should inform you that I'm not like them."

"That's a lie."

"Just as no two humans are the same, no two vampires are the same. You allow your anger and rage to blind you from this truth."

"Don't make assumptions about me."

"Then tell me." She demanded, turning to face him head on. "Tell me your reason why you hate me and my kind so much."

"I don't have to tell you anything."

"Then I'll continue to see you as a blind, ignorant, short-tempered child." Aria turned away to lean against edge of the terrace. "I'm not much different from you. I've had good days, bad days, bright days, dark days, and some days where I wonder what the point is anymore more. I hope you can get it through that thick skull of yours: I never chose to this life as my own. I never chose to be a pureblood. I never chose to live forever…"

Zero frowned. He didn't understand why she even bothered telling him this. "Do you want me to end your life then? That seems like a good solution."

She peered at him out of the corner of her eye. "Thanks, but no thanks. I still have things left to do, things to figure out, and at least one person to live for." Aria turned to look at him again. "Sometimes that one person you have in life is the only reason to live life for." She sighed again and then pointed out. "It must be hard to live your life though, since you have this deep hatred for vampires and yet you are one yourself. Tell me Zero, do you have one person you can continue living for?"

He said nothing.

"She's a sweet girl, Yuki." Aria answered the question for him. "You should do your best to keep her close, no matter what may happen."

"You sound like a psychologist or something." Zero mentioned, not sounding too happy about it.

"When you've lived life as long as I have, you begin to say such things. It almost becomes second nature." She turned back around, her forearms resting on top of the fence of the terrace. "I've seen many things and have done many things…"

"Soren-sama!" A familiar voice called out. Both Zero and Aria looked to see the Vice President of the Night Class.

"Ichijo-san, is something wrong?" Aria asked.

Ichijo was momentarily stunned by the fact that Aria had taken off her sunglasses, but shook it off. "What are you doing with Kiryuu-kun?"

"We're just having a little chat. No big deal really."

"This is the first time I've seen Kiryuu-kun talking with a vampire, without appearing to be extremely violent and malicious." He mentioned, sounding a bit amused. Zero simply glared.

"What was it that you wanted, Ichijo-san?" She asked.

"Kaname has sent me to find you. Our next class is about to begin."

"Of course he would. Didn't he hear me say I was going to head back to the dorms?" She shook her head. "Of course he heard…Well then, goodnight Zero. Maybe the next time we meet you **won't** point that gun at my head?" She gave a small wave goodbye and left along with Ichijo.

Zero watched the two blood suckers leave as he tucked away his Bloody Rose. The new pureblood strange to say the least, but then again which vampire wasn't? Although she had pureblood status, her behavior was not similar to Kaname's. He was very aware that she and Kaname weren't the same person, but that didn't mean she couldn't be just as bad as him. She could end up being worse, and just hasn't shown her true colors yet. Yes, he felt that there was something off about her, and he didn't know if that was necessarily a good or bad thing.

Ichijo walked a bit slower than Soren Aria; to be honest he was a bit weary of her. Partly because she was a pureblood and getting on her bad side wouldn't necessarily be the wisest decision to make. He was also a bit weary due to the simple fact that he didn't know too much about her.

"Ichijo-san…"

"H-hai! Soren-sama…"

"Your birthday is coming up soon, correct?"

Ichijo calmed a bit. "Yes, that's correct! I'm even thinking about holding a birthday party! I hope you would do me the honors of attending…"

"…I'm not one for parties, but I suppose I could stop by." She said with such an air that made it seem like she could really care less at all about going.

This unnerved him slightly. "How did you know that my birthday is coming up, Soren-sama? Did Kaname mention it or something?"

"No, of course he didn't. Why would he?"

Ichijo smiled nervously. "Then how do you…"

"Why wouldn't I?" She retorted bluntly, still walking at her brisk pace.

He couldn't understand it, understand her. How could she have known about his birthday if nobody here has told her? Could she be looking up information of all the students in the Night Class? Or was she looking up the students that look like they'd be close to Kaname? Was she planning for his downfall or something? Ichijo was now suddenly a bit worried. He tried thinking of what he knew about her and her family, the Sorens. To be honest he didn't know much. They moved to Italy years ago to stay away from the Vampire Council. Although Italy was home to the Vatican, he heard that they had a sort of blood bank for the vampires there. He unconsciously licked his lips, but returns his thoughts to the subject at hand. No, he didn't know much about her and decided to make it his duty to look up a little more about her for Kaname's sake. The only thing he did know was more like a rumor, which involve Kaname.

The relationship between the two was unclear. She obviously wasn't fond of him once, but weren't they friends at one point, maybe even lovers? He shook his head; he couldn't imagine it.

"Ichijo," Aria suddenly stopped walking. "I sense there is something on your mind concerning me. Speak it."

He gulped. "I really don't think that…"

"I said 'Speak it'." She ordered, her eyes narrowing at him

Ichijo drew in a breath, before muttering a silent prayer. "I was wondering about your relationship with Kaname-sama…I think my grandfather…." Ichijo bit his tongue. He didn't mean to mention his grandfather.

"Your grandfather's mouth is as big as ever. What did he say?"

Ichijo smiled that smile of his. "Well, he didn't really say anything…"

She stopped and spun around to face him. "Tell me what your dear grandfather said."

"You and Kaname…were engaged once right?" The silence that followed was a bit too much for Ichijo to handle…

"Yes…but it was a long time ago. I suggest you not mention this ever again, nor should you mention it to Kaname."

Ichijo actually frowned slightly. "What happened?"

"Rokuro happened." She sighed. "Please return to class without me. I will not be attending after all." She strode off without a word, for her thoughts were clouded with the memory of Rokuro.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: My fire for this story is burning out...mainly cause I don't really remember the plot for VK and I have to many things to do so I can't read or re-watch it. Anyways, I hope you find this chapter to be ok. Please review.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

"_Your hands are freezing."_

"_I-I know that. You don't have to tell me that all the time," the young woman said flustered._

_The young man took her hands and kissed them lightly with his lips. "You're so wonderful Aria. I'm so glad I met you. Sometimes I feel like you're the only one who understands me…it's like you are me."_

"_Rokuro, I…"_

"_I don't understand why you're so cold, when your heart is so warm." He now wrapped his arms around her. "But I can keep you warm, so it doesn't matter. Stay with me Aria."_

"_Rokuro…I'm engaged…"_

Aria sat beside her window, looking out at the foggy gloom the morning had brought. She couldn't sleep, not when memories of **him** kept popping up in her head. The warmth of her tea cup, in her hands, was nowhere near as warm as his touch. She could remember it clearly, even now.

"_Rokuro, you shouldn't be out at night. You know how dangerous it is."_

"_I couldn't sleep. I wanted to see you." The man had climbed up the side of her home, to her window. She, of course, opened the window and allowed him inside. She knew, her father could probably sense his presence, but she didn't care. She had wanted to see him as well._

_As soon as he was inside, he ran up to her and lifted her off the ground. "Rokuro!" She shouted as quietly as she could._

"_It's not enough to see you in the mornings."_

"_I know, but that's the only time I can…my father…"_

"_I know."_

"_Come to the bed, Rokuro. You should be sleeping."_

_He grinned mischievously. "And you should be as well."_

It felt as though someone had squeezed tightly around her heart and the cup in her hand broke. The contents spilled onto her lap, but she took no notice of it. She felt un-composed and out of control, from the mere thought of him. Sighing, she decided it would be best to take a walk to clear her thoughts. Changing into black slacks and a white dress shirt, she left her room to take a breath of the fresh morning air. She wasn't sure where she was going, or where she was even allowed to go. She simply walked aimlessly, with no sense of direction.

It reminded her of the daily morning walks she used to take with Rokuro. They would hold hands and walk with no destination, but every walk felt it had purpose, meaning. She never felt as lost as she did now.

She face palmed. She shouldn't allow her thoughts to dwell on the subject now. It had been so long since that period of time in her life. She was stronger than this. She couldn't have a mere memory of someone break her down.

"Soren-san!"

Aria snapped out of her almost trance-like state to see the human, Takeda Izo, running up to her. "Takeda-senpai…"

"Soren-san, what are you doing out here?" Izo asked. Aria looked around and realized that she was on the pathway that led to the school. She silently thanked God that Izo had found her before she stepped a foot on the grounds, otherwise she'd have to answer to a certain male guardian.

"I couldn't really sleep, so I thought a walk would clear my head. How about you? Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Oh, I'm headed back to the dorms to pick up a textbook I forgot."

Aria giggled. "Wow, you really are forgetful."

Izo turned red. "Yeah…well…the girls we're being really loud yesterday, since Valentine's Day is tomorrow. They kept squealing about which Night Class student they were going to be giving chocolates too and I have no idea why they bother. It's not like any of the Night Class will **ever** return their feelings…"

"Oh? You sound jealous, Takeda-senpai." Aria grinned.

"I-I am not."

"Is there anyone you'd like to receive chocolates from this year?" She asked innocently.

Izo looked away, obviously red in the face, "Not really, I really gotta go now or I'll end up missing class. I'll see you around Soren-san."

Valentine's Day…has that cursed day come already? Since that incident many years ago, she would make chocolates for Rokuro, even though he wasn't even alive anymore. Recently, however, she had neglected to do so. Every time she had made the chocolates she would end up being very hard on herself. The self-hatred she kept locked away would poor out as she made the sweet confections. It came to a point where it was so intense that she would experience a killer headache, because she knew was her fault for what had happened to Rokuro and to Kaname.

She sighed. She had better return to the dorms before…"What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry Zero. I didn't realize that I was sleep-walking." She turned to see the school guardian, standing behind her, with his arms crossed. "I'm glad to see that you're not pointing that bloody gun at me this time."

"If you don't return to the Moon Dorms immediately, then that will change in an instant."

"Got it, got it." She put her hands up in a mock surrender. She started making her way back, only to stop. "Well aren't you going to walk me back?"

"No…I have other things I'd rather do…"

"Like skip class?" Aria suggested.

Zero ignored her. "Let's go then." He walked ahead as Aria trailed leisurely behind. He looked back at her. "And don't think I didn't see you talking to that Takeda guy. I already told you that interaction with the Day Class students isn't allowed."

"You know, I think I already told you that you should stop telling me that so many times, because I pretty much know already."

"Don't think because you're a Pureblood you can ignore the rules."

"What? I **never** thought that." She laughed.

"I don't see why you keep pretending to be so friendly with that guy anyways. So stay away from him, I don't need scum like you to make my job harder than it needs to be."

"I'm not pretending…"

"You can't fool me. You and I both know that you're not as…cute…as you were behaving before."

"Aw…did you think I was cute?" A click of a gun was heard. "I wasn't asking a serious question at all. It was just a joke, just a joke." They had reached the gate, much to Aria's relief. She didn't want to deal with Zero anymore, and teasing him was starting to feel rather tiring.

"Go straight back to the dorms."

She mocked a curtsy. "You have my word…oh wait…" Zero stopped and looked back at her. She shook her head and grinned, "Nevermind." Aria left Zero alone on the path with growing suspicions in his mind.

Aria strayed off the path and walked into the forest. She wasn't ready to return to her room yet. Her thoughts were still swirling relentlessly in her mind. It almost felt sickening, so many emotions, so many thoughts, and the sin she never should have committed. Regret and remorse could not change anything and now she must live with it for the rest of her days. Love was an uncontrollable force, and it had swept her away. It had made her do things she never thought she'd do. Although most of her days were spent turning an ignorant eye away from that time of her life, it didn't change the fact that it still happened.

Zero's words replayed in her head. _"You and I both know that you're not as…cute…as you were behaving before."_ The mere thought of it made her chuckle, both out amusement and out of the fact that Zero was probably right, much to her discomfort to admit. It was mere chance that she bumped into Izo on her way to the library. If that hadn't happened, she probably wouldn't have paid Izo much mind if she saw him walking to class or walking down the street. However, she was attracted to Izo's aura of innocence. Of course, he couldn't have been as pure as a newborn lamb, but he might as well be a lamb in comparison to Aria. It was refreshing and made her smile sadly. Such a relationship with a human, even a mere friendship, was near impossible. Unfortunately, she learned the saddening fact from past experience.

"Aria, are you deaf or are you just simply begging for attention?"

"Kuran, I'm not in the mood." She kept her arms folded crossed and kept her back faced to him.

"Your words are as cold as your heart." Kaname said coolly. "You know that you should be in the dorms right now."

"And you know perfectly well I don't particularly care right now. Besides, it's not like I'm on the campus grounds nor am I anywhere near the Sun Dorms. Look they're **all **the way across the lake."

"Do not defy me."

"If anything I'm not defying you, I'm defying these ridiculous rules this school has."

"You know, I helped develop those rules?"

Aria groaned. "I honestly don't care right now. Please leave me in peace. I'm just trying to clear my head. All of these restrictions make this school seem more like a prison. I'm practically suffocating. Can **any** of the Night Class students do **anything** without getting in trouble for it?" She leaned against a tree, her gaze on the surface of the water.

"Has something happened?"

"Not particularly…I'm just…recalling a few things is all. I wish so much to return to Italy…"

"Daughter like father I see. You wish to run away again…"

"Who wouldn't want to leave this miserable place?" She snapped.

"What's this? I was under the impression that you liked it here." Kaname raised an eyebrow. "Especially, that human boy…"

"Who are you trying to fool Kuran? I hate it here and I hate having to listen to whatever you say. Besides that human boy is the only interesting thing here."

Kaname's eyes narrowed. "You haven't exactly been listening to what I say or the school rules. So just like any other student, you'll have to face the consequences. Also, you're treading dangerous waters, Aria. Stop playing around with that human boy. Remember the last time you befriended a human? Do you remember where it led you?"

"Of course I remember," She finally turned to face him, her black eyes glaring at him with such ferocity. "How on Earth could I forget? I swear to you that nothing like that will happen again…"

Although she hid it well, Kaname could sense the hurt that could barely be seen in her eyes. "Aria…I do not blame you for what you did to me. That was a long time ago, and I had forgiven you already. I think it's about time you forgave yourself. Your self-hatred will bring about your own destructions. You were still…somewhat young after all."

"Don't look down on me!"

"I'm not."

If her glare wasn't piercing enough already, it sure was now. She refused to back down from the other pureblood. "Leave me alone," her words were no request.

"You've been alone all these years. You should accept comradeship when it comes knocking at your door." He said softly.

"Not when the person that offers it to me is you. I know you're up to something."

"You've grown wiser since I last saw you."

"Naturally…purebloods have to be wary of one another," She laughed bitterly. "I don't even trust my own brother anymore, and my faith in my elder sister and mother is dwindling."

Kaname's fingers ghosted atop her cheeks, and Aria was quick to smack them away. "It's a shame you've turned out this way. When we were young, you thought no such thing." Regardless of Aria's obvious dislike for him, Kaname took her by the hand and began to lead her back to the dorms. "I've let you spend enough time outside. It's time to go in."

Aria didn't bother trying to break away. She was mentally tired and had just about enough of Kuran Kaname, but as he led her away melancholy over swept her as she was reminded of the days she and Kaname had been together, of the time she had considered him to be a friend, not someone to be wary of. "Your hands are cold Aria," he noted.

She couldn't help, but smile weakly. "I'm sorry that I am not dear Yuuki, but I must say yours are cold as well Kaname." She glanced up at him and could see the slight amusement in his face.

By no means did she trust Kaname, if he truly wanted her friendship, then she would give it to him; however, if he did have an ulterior motive, then she would simply play along with his little game weaved by lies.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Yes...I'm still alive. I've decided...to throw the plot out of the window. X/ I'm planning on wrapping this story up as soon as possible, cause I got other projects I wanna move on to. If you're interested go to my profile to see the complete list.**

**Reminder...I haven't watched/read VK in forever, so I apologize if things aren't accurate or whateves. Reviews would be wonderful!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

Zero stretched his arms over his head as he walked out of his room. With guardian duty and his recent inability to fall asleep, Zero felt a bit drained and overslept by accident. Of course, this didn't matter much to him. The main thing troubling him was the pills he had been taking. They weren't working as effectively as he thought they would. Was that because they were defective or perhaps it took a while for the pills to take affect? His hand found his way into his pocket and grasped the cool, small, metal tin. The pills will work; maybe his body was simply adjusting to them. Stifling a yawn, he decided it was probably best to perhaps stop by the kitchen to drink, before going to class. As he made a right and entered the hall in which the kitchen was located, he noticed a presence that shouldn't have been there. He dashed down the hallway and burst through kitchen door. His eyes narrowed at the person before him.

"Ah Zero…did the scent of my cooking draw you in?"

His eyes narrowed. "What are you doing in here?"

Aria was pouring chocolate into a heart-shaped mold. "I'm brewing a love potion to make men fall in love with me," She said with a smile, before looking up at him with half-lidded eyes. "Would you like to taste?"

"Get out."

She pouted. "But Cross-san said I could use the kitchen this morning. I also got permission from Kaname, so don't threaten me with silly little detentions or that silly little gun of yours."

Zero was taken aback, but quickly recovered. "I don't care."

Aria grinned with glee. "Well too bad for you, I'm still have to wait for the chocolate to harden in this ice box." She took the tray and placed it in a refrigerator. "What are you? Hungry? Hurry up and make something to eat then. I believe you're late enough for class as it is."

Zero couldn't believe her nerve, but could believe it at the same time. "Che." He turned around to leave, but was stopped by Aria, who appeared right before him.

"No, no, no, take a seat. You probably won't be going to class anytime soon anyways, Mr. Guardian. Why don't you keep me company in the meantime? I'll get awfully bored on my own."

"Then why don't you get one of the other vampires to keep you company?" He spat, not moving an inch.

"My, my," Aria tsk-ed. "You know so little about vampires…and yet you're a vampire hunter?" She began to laugh. "All the vampires at this school are loyal to one person and one person alone, Kuran Kaname. Even though I'm a pureblood, their loyalty doesn't lie with me. If it came down to obeying me or Kaname, they would listen to Kaname in a heartbeat. I don't have as much power her as you think…or rather…I'd rather not cause trouble trying to obtain power here." She moved passed him to go back and sit on the stool by the counter. "So, what was it you were going to do here anyways?" She asked, her voice now sounded slightly bored. "It's not like you need to eat anymore right? No matter how much food you eat, it won't satisfy that hunger building within you."

Zero ignored her question. "But you're a pureblood."

"I just told you that I don't have as much power as you think. I have more power in Italy and even there it is limited by my elder brother and sister, my mother and the Vampire Council. I am a pureblood Zero…not a Goddess."

"Of course you're not," Zero agreed. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Ouch…it's like you struck an arrow through my heart." She purred, before moving around the kitchen and taking out two glasses. "Tell me Zero, are you thirsty?" Aria poured water into the two glasses and withdrew her own small tin of blood tablets. One by one she dropped them into the water, watching closely as the tablets slowly fizzed out and dyed the clear water a pale red. She held up one of the glasses to the light. "Look at this Zero…it's such an ugly and dull color, such an obvious contrast to real blood." Her equally dull eyes went from the glass to Zero. "Have you ever tasted it? Human blood or even blood from another vampire? It's almost heavenly; of course some blood tastes better than others..."

"Stop it." Zero finally uttered.

Aria arched a red eyebrow. "I'm not going to stop you from leaving. In fact, I'm surprised you haven't left yet. Then again it's not like you can just leave. You're thirsty aren't you?" She held out the other glass. "Come on and take it. You saw me prepare it, so it's not like I drugged it or anything lowly like that."

His throat was parched and despite his better judgment, he took the glass. She grinned. "Good boy, now what shall we toast to? A better future? Good health?" She laughed. "Or perhaps a long life? Although that doesn't seem to be an issue for the two of us, does it?"

"Shut up." He said before taking a sip from his glass.

"Honestly, trying to hold a conversation with you is like trying to hold a conversation with a rock…" Aria fell silent, observing every move Zero made. She watched his throat contract and relax as he downed the pale red liquid. "It's not enough is it? After all you're only a baby. It's only natural that you would want the real thing, thick, warm and when you drink it, it flows down your throat, like a river through a land of milk and honey."

She stopped talking abruptly at the sound of metal click. "Stop it. It's disgusting."

"It's natural. Your transformation must be hard for you, you who came from a family of vampire hunters. I hope you realize there's nothing you can do to stop it. You will transform and become a vampire or worse…a level E."

Zero lost it and threw his empty glass at Aria, which she dodged with ease. "I'm not like you!"

Aria sighed. "You're right. You are a human turned vampire and I…I was simply born this way." She looked down at her open palm, before closing it. "I have the instincts and blood thirsty urges like an animal, but I also have a heart and soul like a human. Nothing you say and nothing you call me will change that. I thought you were wiser than this. I guess not. You are still an ignorant child."

"And you're a stuck up, old witch." He replied coolly.

She grinned. "You might as well call me a bitch. We both know that's what you meant, but enough talk. Day Class students should be in class right now."

Zero withdrew his gun and marched out of the kitchen. Just as he left, the grin on Aria's face also disappeared. She didn't like how Zero acted high and mighty. He was a fool to think he could deny the truth and she thought that he'd be different. She chuckled…of course he was different. Never had she imagined that a vampire hunter would be turned vampire. That alone made him different physically, mentally and emotionally than other humans and vampires. Aria raised her glass to her lips and downed the drink in an instant. She stuck out her tongue in disgust for it left an unpleasant after taste. Kiryuu Zero was none of her business and yet, she wanted to break down that insufferable pride of his.

The glass broke in her hand.

A shard found a way to break her skin.

She began to bleed. Aria couldn't help but admire how beautifully crimson it was and how it contrasted wonderfully with her pale skin. Slowly her pink tongue extended from her lips and cleaned it from her skin. Just as the last drop was licked away, the kitchen door opened.

There stood Zero.

There was a strange look in his eyes.

The cut on her hand slowly began to seal itself, sealing away the heavenly scent that drew Zero back to the kitchen. His knees grew out and he crumbled to the ground. His hands, like claws, dragged down along the kitchen door.

Step by step, Aria made her way over to the poor boy and she knelt before him. He tried moving away, but her long, elegant fingers snaked around his wrist, keeping him in place. "Poor baby," she cooed in a low voice. "You're hungry, even though you just had those lovely tablets to drink." Her other hand caressed his cheek, which he hastily slapped away.

"Get back!"

"Your eyes are red. Have your senses heightened? Can you smell me and the pure blood that runs through my veins?" Aria couldn't help herself. Her predator-self had been released, very much intrigued by the young man that knelt before her. "Look how weak you are for a taste of my blood. Did you know that drinking a pureblood vampire's blood is considered taboo?" She giggled. "But I can make an exception for you."

Her face drew closer and closer and Zero tried desperately to back away. He had never felt so weak before. What was this? What was this numb feeling spreading throughout his being? He didn't have an answer and he couldn't think of an answer, because within a few seconds, to his great horror, her lips met his.

His eyes grew wide. He could taste the remnants of her blood on her tongue. There was a sudden lurch in his stomach. He wanted more, more of it. He sucked on her tongue, trying desperately to draw out all that was left, and when there was none he decided to use his fangs…

A punch.

A gasp.

Aria stared at Zero. He was breathing heavily. His hands were slightly shaking. Although the punch caught her by surprise, her facial expression was unreadable. She struggled to find something clever to say and nearly bit her tongue in fury.

Zero was first to speak. "That doesn't prove anything."

Her eyes narrowed. "If anything, that means you can't resist temptation. I'm warning you Zero. If you love Yuuki then you must distance yourself from her."

"I never…"

"You'd have to be a blind man not to see that you hold some sort of feelings for the girl," She spat. "You're no better than a newborn vampire. Sometime soon the mere scent of Yuuki will have you teetering off the edge. Have you smelled her?"

"Of course I have!"

"Then you should know her blood smells different from the other humans…sweeter…more delicious. Zero…no matter how much she insists on helping you, and you know as well as I that she will, you mustn't let her. Even you don't have that much control…take it from somebody who knows."

He looked at her strangely. "What do you mean by that?"

Silence.

"Does it really matter?"

"Zero! Aria! What on Earth are you two doing?" The annoyingly happy tone of voice could only mean that it was the Chairman.

"Nothing." Both answered at the same time and glared at each other.

Sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere, Chairman spoke up. "Well Zero, shouldn't you be in class right now? As a Guardian…"

"I know! I know!" Zero stomped out of the kitchen. He couldn't believe the nerve of that bloodsucker. She was almost more infuriating than Kuran, if not maybe more so. At least Kuran didn't insist that Zero keep him company, like Soren Aria did. And what did she mean by "somebody who knows". Could Aria have possibly…? The thought was too impossible to even think of.

Footsteps from up ahead drew Zero away from his angry thoughts and he immediately wondered why his day had to go from bad to worse. There before him stood the male pureblood in all his glory. "Shouldn't you be in class Zero?" He asked in his aristocratic voice.

How many times were people going to ask him that today? "I was just on my way." He said coldly.

Kaname came closer to Zero, while Zero stood his ground. "What happened?"

Zero remained unfazed. "Nothing happened."

"Don't lie to me. I can smell it and I'm sure the rest of the Night Class had gotten a whiff of it." Kaname brushed past the guardian and into the kitchen, only to be attacked.

"Look at these Kaname! Aren't they cute!" Cross practically shoved the small heart and star shaped chocolate pieces. "I can't believe Aria could cook such things! I'm so surprised!"

"Even I can cook Cross-san."

"Cross, please excuse yourself. I'd like to speak with Aria."

Cross had tears in his eyes. "Why am I always unwanted! First Zero…now you…" He cried his way out of the room, leaving Aria alone with Kaname.

"What happened?" The male pureblood demanded.

"I accidentally cut myself is all as I was cooking."

"What was Zero doing?"

"Zero? He was thirsty," She grinned. "So he got himself a glass of that nasty tablet water. That's all."

Kaname sighed. "You know it's best for you to not get involved with humans."

"Zero isn't human."

"He might as well be."

"What do you see in him anyways? Is he another plaything like Izo?"

"What do I see?" She paused for a moment. "Sometimes when I see his face…I see myself."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Another chapter, hopefully I can whip out another chapter soon. Please review.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight<strong>

For Aria the next few days came and went about as slowly as a snail. Valentine's Day proved to be nothing more than a day of headaches. She was forbidden by Kaname to give the chocolate heart she worked so hard on to Takeda Izo. In fact, Kaname made sure that she couldn't give it to him, by keeping an annoyingly close eye on her the entire day. So she couldn't even enjoy the look Izo's face would have been like if she had given him chocolates. Instead she had to deal with the squeals and shrieks of the Day Class girls in the beginning of the evening and the scent of chocolate during the rest of her classes from the vast amount of chocolates the male Night Class students received.

It wasn't long after Valentine's Day when the scent of blood filled the noses of all the Night Class students again. Aria was able to recognize it immediately. It seemed that Zero wasn't able to resist his vampire instincts.

Aria was in deep slumber, when there was a knock at the door. Of course, a simple knock was enough to alert her, but she chose to ignore it. The knock came again and the then the door creaked open. "Kaname…you better have a good reason as to why you're here." She mumbled loud enough for him to hear.

"You need to get up and get ready." Kaname cruelly opened the curtains in her room.

She growled and pulled the covers over her head. "It's still light out."

"We need to head out a little earlier today. Cross has invited the two of us to dinner."

"I'm not going."

"Naturally, you'll be missing a bit of this evening's class because of it."

Aria kicked the covers off and dragged her feet to her bathroom. Kaname made no movements to leave. "I see you've become more relaxed the longer you've been here."

She stuck her head out from her bathroom door with a toothbrush in her mouth. "Well, what else am I supposed to do here? I might as well treat this as a vacation…a forced vacation." She disappeared back into the bathroom. Kaname heard the sound of the faucet running for a short amount of time, before Aria appeared again.

"Have you heard from your brother recently?" Kaname asked.

"No…have you?"

"I have not."

Aria walked right up to Kaname and stared him down. She didn't believe him. "Really? Well, I haven't heard from Rino either."

"Rino?"

"My servant, he brought my luggage here." She moved in front of her closet to change into a pair of boot cut, dark-brown trousers and a white dress shirt.

"I see you don't know the meaning of the word 'decency'."

"Oh please…there isn't anything you haven't seen," She muttered, but was kind enough to keep her back to him as she changed. She left the few top buttons of her shirt open and messily tucked it into her pants. Next she sat in front her vanity and began to brush back her hair into her classic tight bun.

"Don't you own any dresses?"

"Of course I do," she answered stiffly. "But it's only dinner with Cross. I think this clothing is appropriate enough." She stood and slipped on a pair of black heels, before grabbing a pair of sunglasses. "We can head out now."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you could easily pass for a man." Aria's face contorted as she pulled her hand back to slap Kaname, but Kaname was quick and caught her hand before it could make any form of contact. "Did you want to hold hands? You should have just asked."

"Careful Kaname or dearest Yuuki may think there's something between us."

Kaname released her hand gracefully released her hand. The two continued to walk side by side down the stairs and outside. "I would think you'd be more afraid of my underlings."

"Pfft…" Aria was startled. "I can't believe you would such a word, 'underlings'. What time period are you living in? That word makes you sound like a terrible overlord or something."

To her surprise he chuckled. "What world are **you **living in? Thinking you can talk to me like that?"

"A world where you and I stand on equal grounds."

"Well, you should take another look around you. At this academy, you stand just slightly beneath me." He chose at this moment to walk ahead of Aria, leaving her fuming with rage.

The rest of the walk proceeded with silence. As they walked they drew the attention of a few Day Class students, whose school day had just ended. The only ones that remained at school were there for after school club activities. Many stopped them as they walked, wondering what the two Night Class students were doing out and about in the day time. Aria honestly had no patience for it was too late in the day to deal with such badgering. The two finally reached the building where the headmaster resided in and she released a sigh of relief.

"Kaname! Aria!" Cross jumped up and aimed his hug attack at Aria, knowing that Aria would do nothing to avoid it. "I'm so glad you decided to come as well!"

"Of course Cross-san, I'm so glad you invited me."

"Why wouldn't I?" He threw an arm around Aria's shoulders and led her inside. Kaname followed closely behind. "Yuuki, Kaname and Aria are here!"

The young girl came out of the kitchen practically bouncing. The sight of her made Aria's hair stand on end. "Yuuki," started Kaname. "It's nice to see you so cheerful."

"Y-yes, well, I'm very excited that you and Aria-san will be eating dinner with us tonight. But I guess for you two it's more like breakfast…" She laughed awkwardly.

"Awww…you're so adorable Yuuki. I can see why Kaname likes you so…" Aria bit her tongue as Kaname stomped on her foot.

The four moved into the dining room and settled down. Aria looked around the table. She wasn't one to eat much, being a vampire and all, but she knew Kaname would nag her later if she didn't eat anything now.

"Just look at this roast beef Yuuki and I cooked together! She's growing up so fast!" Cross squealed.

Kaname was already digging in. "This tastes wonderful Yuuki."

"Oh…thank you…" The human girl blushed.

Slowly Aria began to help herself. She couldn't help but feel a bit awkward. Who on Earth invites two vampires to eat dinner?

"Zero-kun, you shouldn't lurk behind the door like that," Kaname teased.

Within a flash Cross was out of his seat and apprehended Zero from behind the door. "There you are! You're late!"

"Well I think this idea is stupid." He said bluntly, leaving the headmaster in tears.

Kaname grinned. "And yet there you were standing just outside the door."

Zero gritted his teeth, so Aria stepped in. "If you're going to sit down, then sit down. If you want to leave then leave, nobody's is going to stop you."

Cross stood in front of him with a certain spark in his eyes. "I decided to set up this dinner so that **you** can get along with both Aria and Zero better. So please…sit…down."

If things didn't feel uncomfortable before for Aria, then certainly did now, mainly because of the animosity Zero had brought to the table. She thought Cross knew better than to pull stuff like this and why wouldn't Zero just leave if he didn't want to be there? It wasn't as if it was only Kaname and Yuuki eating dinner.

"So Aria, how long will you be staying here?" Cross asked, breaking the silence. "Will you be attending this school for the full of three years?"

Aria choked on her drink. "Um…no…the longest I should be here is maybe… a year. Maybe even 6 months."

"That short?" Cross whined. "You should stay longer."

"With all do respect, I'd really prefer to go back to Italy as soon as possible."

"So have you heard from your brother recently…"

Her eye twitched. First Kaname and now Cross…was there something she was missing here. "No I haven't, but I'm sure he isn't planning on keeping me for a long amount of time," she answered through her teeth.

Kaname interjected. "I wouldn't put it past your brother, Aria."

"Oh really? And what makes you think that, Kaname?" Aria asked, a hint of iciness in her voice even though her face still had a smile. "Are you sure you haven't heard from him lately?"

"I told you haven't," He said, looking at her from behind his raised glass. "It's simple really. I've known your brother for a long time."

Aria was distraught. Could there possibly be a fact about her brother she didn't know already? It was a bit hard to think of, but the possibility was there. Aria's mind went into overdrive. If her brother somehow messed up, she could still have a chance of convincing the Board Members of the Soren Company to remove him from his position. There was no way he would be able to keep the company running smoothly for very long. The company's stock took a serious downturn after the change in CEO. Aria, on the other hand, had a clean working background. If she was named the CEO then the dip in stock numbers in the stock market wouldn't have happened in the first place.

Kaname laughed. "You will never get the position Aria. I doubt you'll even see a glimpse of it."

"Then I guess you don't know **me **as well, Kaname." She placed her napkin on her plate. "Please excuse me, I'd like to go make a phone call."

"It's rude to leave when everyone else is still dining." Kaname frowned.

"Um, I think it's okay to let Aria-san go," Yuuki spoke up in her cute little voice.

Aria grinned. "See Kaname? I got the chef's approval to leave, so leave me be." As she stood, Zero stood as well. She raised an eyebrow. "And what do you think you're doing?"

"Well, if you're allowed to leave, then I should be able to leave too."

"Oh…did you want to escort me out?" Aria asked.

"I wanted to get on with Guardian duty."

"And follow me and keep me out of trouble no doubt," she added with a frown, but she made to leave anyways and stopped.

She looked to Kaname. He simply raised an eyebrow and took another sip out of his glass. She looked back to the door and could feel another person on the other side. Slowly the door creaked open. It was Rino.

"Aria-sama…"

Aria's nostrils flared. "What are you doing here Rino? You're supposed to be in Italy."

Fear was emitting from Rino's very being. "A-aria-sama…you're brother…he…"

His voice was small as he spoke and he was clearly not his normal self. Aria's anger towards Rino was now redirected to her brother. She began to shake Rino. "What? Did he do something to you? What did he do?"

Cross stepped in. "Calm down Aria, I'm sure it wasn't anything too serious…"

"He's engaged." Rino whispered.

Aria's eyes grew wide. "He's what?"

"He's engaged…to your sister." Rino finally managed to say.

It felt as though Aria's stomach dropped a thousand miles. Slowly her head turns to Kaname. She saw it. He had a sort of wrinkle in his eye. He knew this was happen. He knew all along.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: ****Not gonna lie, I'm not sure where I'm going with this anymore. I think I'm gonna go the ZeroxOC route, but I'm finding it very difficult because Zero has such a hatred towards vampires. TT_TT**

**But I have mentioned before this story focuses mostly on Aria rather than a lovey-dovey relationship, BUT I'm gonna try to bring Zero into it a bit more.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>

It was terribly quite in the dining room after Rino made his announcement. The ambiance in the entire room became undesirably cold. Aria still hadn't released Rino's shoulders from her grip and she still hadn't broken her eye contact with Kaname. Cross seemed to understand, but Zero and Yuuki didn't quite get it. The news of marriage is usually a happy thing, but the fact it was between a brother and sister made them feel a bit…uneasy. Of course, they didn't know the true reason for Aria's dislike for the news.

Aria closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. "Cross-san," She said, after opening them. "Please forgive Rino's rudeness for interrupting dinner. Right now I'd like to speak with him privately about the matter."

Without waiting for an approval, she led Rino out of the room and down one of the halls in the building. Once they stopped walking she turned to face Rino with her hands on her hips. She said only one word. "Explain."

Rino gulped unconsciously and licked his lips before speaking. "It happened three nights ago. Your elder brother Dario-sama called all the servants to the grand hall to make an announcement. Naturally everybody was curious, not to mention nervous. We all entered the hall, but Dario-sama wasn't there. We started to become a bit uneasy, but then the sound of a door opening carried out throughout the room and out came Dario-sama and Renia-sama holding hands. Then they announced it. They want to get married this summer before fall, so they began ordering the servants to start making plans now and a guest list and whatnot. Renia-sama…"

His voice trailed off, causing Aria to raise an eyebrow. "'Renia-sama' what?" She demanded.

"R-renia-sama…" Rino couldn't bring himself to look at Aria any longer. "R-renia-sama looked so excited and when she looked at me I…" Rino choked on his words. He couldn't bring himself to say it.

Aria didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to feel: anger, sympathy, or disappointment? "What did I tell you about Renia? What did I tell you?" Aria asked slowly. "You knew it would never work. You knew. I told you over and over again, Rino." Rino didn't look up at Aria at all. "I told you almost constantly since I turned you about the ranks." Aria continued. "I told you constantly…weren't you listening? Well?" She demanded an answer.

"I know…Aria-sama," Rino muttered, feeling ten times smaller than her.

"Then what were you…gah…ugh…" She had to admit silently she was at lost for words. "Not only did I tell you about the ranks. I even warned you specifically about my sister! She's a pureblood. There's no way that you could have…" Aria sighed and held out her arms. "Come here Rino," she ordered, almost tiredly.

"Aria-sama," Rino sobbed and embraced her.

"My poor, poor Rino." She cooed, petting the back of his head all the while.

After staying like that for a moment, Rino spoke. "Aria-sama…I don't think I could ever go back to the main household again. I-I can't see her…I…"

Aria paused in her petting, before agreeing. "Don't worry. I'll never make you go there again."

"But what about the wedding? You'll probably have to…"

"I've been to plenty of weddings Rino. I don't need to attend another one, especially if it's **his **wedding…" She wiped away his tears. "Come now, I'll take you to my room."

Rino was a bit hesitant. "What about Kuran-sama?"

"I'll speak to Kaname about you later. Don't worry about it." She reassured him.

"Or you can tell me about it now."

Aria looked back to see him. "Kaname…"

"It's one thing to have a pureblood enter what can be argued as my 'domain', but one of the pureblood's underlings?"

"Rino isn't going to cause any harm. I practically raised him myself…"

"And yet here he is crying like the heartbroken fool he is."

"Can a person help who they fall in love with?"

"Yes they can and his inability to control himself may very well correspond to the possibility of controlling himself around this many humans and the other vampires at this school. Isn't he only a C-rank?"

If Aria could cut down Kaname where he stood, she would. However, she knew where he was coming from. It was only natural to be very conscious of other purebloods. Slowly, as if she was moving through a terrible nightmare, she went down on her knees and bowed. "Please allow Rino to stay here with me. I'm begging you Kaname…if you still have a heart, please let him stay here."

Kaname was highly amused. He didn't think Aria would ever go this far, especially for such a low ranking vampire. "I guess not everything about you has changed." He commented.

"Kaname, please…" Aria wished for him to make his decision as quickly as possible. She couldn't bear the humiliation any longer.

"I will allow it, but…" he paused for a moment. "I will be taking him to your room."

Aria's head shot up. "Wait a minute…"

"That's my final word on the matter. You understand?"

She stared his eyes down before closing her own and allowing her head to hang. "Yes…but if anything happens to him I swear I…"

"I'm not going to do anything. I still have a heart you know, even though it no longer belongs to you…" He turned to Rino, whose face was scared shitless. "Well, let's get going. I have many things I want to talk to you about."

Rino looked down at Aria, not really sure of what to do.

"Go Rino. You'll be fine. So go." She said without looking up. Rino nodded and left with Kaname. Kaname immediately struck up a conversation and slowly but surely his voice slowly disappeared.

"You look pathetic."

Aria sighed. "Zero…don't you have to go be guardian someplace else?"

"And you should at least be in class by now or in the Night Dorms…"

"Don't give this to me right now Zero. Just leave me in peace with my thoughts. A terrible thing happened today."

"I thought weddings were a happy occasion."

"Not if you're me." Aria sighed again. "I've been working so hard…for years…for centuries even to become my father's successor and yet it was swept away from effortlessly by my brother. Now that he's going to get married, he's probably going to have a child and that child will be the successor. You would know how that feels right Zero? A vampire hunter….who's a vampire themselves?"

"Don't compare me to you."

"But I think we're a bit similar, in that aspect at least…you know, a pureblood family only ever needs two children, one boy and one girl so that can carry on the blood line. My brother and sister were born before me and it makes me wonder, why was I even born in the first place? Now I feel as though I lost purpose and I have to live forever with that…"

"I still don't understand why you don't just kill yourself now…"

Aria chuckled. "As morbid as always Zero. Do you really have no sympathy for me? Has your new life of darkness darkened your own heart?"

"I'm not like you."

"Of course you're not," she said disbelievingly. "But for your information I can't die yet, not before Rino. Rino is a natural playboy, usually very cool and collected. However, he's very loyal to me and so I'll take care of him until he dies." When she noticed that Zero didn't say anything, she smiled. "Did you not expect for me to have such human-like feelings?" He still didn't say anything so she continued. "Even though I still have Rino, I won't have him forever. I will outlive him and any other vampire or human that may come after him. The thing about living forever Zero is that after a while you begin to lose sense of purpose. I won't deny it. It's a cursed life I was born into."

Aria admitted to herself that she didn't know why she was telling such things to this young vampire. Perhaps it was because he wasn't really a part of the vampire world. He didn't understand ranks at all; he proved that about every other night standing up against Kaname and sometimes herself. He was a young boy in conflict with himself. He was a young boy who had fallen in love. He was a young boy who used to be human and trained to be a vampire hunter. He was different. He was an outsider. Perhaps this was the reason why telling him such things seemed easy, for who did he have to tell it to?

She looked up at him. He was very quiet, but she couldn't blame him. He hated her and her kind and himself. Why would he want to waste his breath? But then again he was wasting his time watching her. A strange boy in deed, so when he asked his next question she was a bit surprised. "If your father is a pureblood, then how did he die?"

"He didn't commit suicide, so naturally he was murdered by a pair of vampire hunters."

"What about your mother?"

"She lives at home in Italy."

Silence, Zero wasn't sure what to say anymore. He admitted he was slightly curious, but could honestly care less about Aria either way. He found it strange that she talked so much too him, or at least more than Kaname ever talked to him. He couldn't see why she bothered trying to hold a conversation with him. He mulled over it for few seconds and began to be slightly, very slightly uneasy. She must have an underlying motive. That was the only explanation he could think of and the only one that made the most sense. However somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if that was all it was. As he looked down at this creature, he saw defeat, whether it was genuine or not it reminded him of himself a week or two ago. He didn't like the idea of having something in common with a creature like her, but he knew and admitted deep down that they were almost in the same boat. Without saying a word, he sat in front of her, leaning against the wall.

She gave him a questioning look.

Zero looked away. "You're not in your right state of mind. I should keep an eye on you in case you do something stupid."

Aria laughed. "And can you describe to me my 'right state of mind'?"

"Overbearing, arrogant, stuck-up, prideful…"

She waved her hand at him. "Thank you, I think I got the point, but for now I'm just a very tired and very old lady."

"If you're tired go to your room."

"I have no idea if Kaname is still there or not. I'll just laze around here for a while longer."

"I thought you were friends with Kaname."

Aria raised an eyebrow. "Are you blind boy? Purebloods must always be wary of other purebloods. Never know for sure what they're thinking…"

"So even vampires don't trust each other…" Zero muttered.

"No they don't…and neither do humans…I'm telling you Zero. If one thinks about it, vampires and humans aren't that different. The only difference is that humans flock during the day and vampires roam around at night."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Why do I feel torn? Kaname or Zero? I didn't expect this sort of thing to happen! I really wanna just wrap this story up, but I can't pick anymore...**

**Anyways, it'd be great to get reviews. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten<strong>

Aria couldn't sleep well, not with Rino sleeping beside her. She could tell he was still upset, probably from his recent heartbreak, but also from his talk with Kaname. He hadn't told her what Kaname and he talked about the night before. It was only 4 o'clock in the afternoon when she decided to get up. Rino noticed the movement almost immediately

"Where are you going?"

"Just for a walk, I can't seem to fall asleep well today…"

"Do you need anything?" He questioned, starting to get up as well.

She shook her head. "Not at all, I just want you to rest. Did Kaname mention anything to you about joining the Night Class?"

Rino shook his head.

"I see…" Aria noted. "For today I think it's best for you not to leave this room."

"I understand Aria-sama."

"Good, now sleep."

He rolled back up in the bed sheets, while Aria got dressed, black dress pants and a pale purple dress shirt. After pulling her red hair back in a classic bun, she left the room to speak with a certain man. She didn't so much as take three steps out from her room when someone stopped her.

"What are you doing?"

She looked behind her to see one of the shorter male vampires…the very loud one…Aidou was it? "I'm going to see Kaname."

"Isn't it a bit early for that?"

"As if I care, I have something I wish to speak with him about. I could ask you the same question: what are you doing up so early, around my room again no less?"

"I w-was just sleep walking," he answered with his arms folded.

Aria laughed a bit darkly. "What a cute answer…but please, answer the question."

"There's a new vampire, and he hasn't pledged his alliance to Kaname-sama. I just wanted to check him out."

She crossed her arms. "I applaud you for your loyalty to Kaname, but there's no need for you to be snooping around all the time. Kaname has met with Rino already and if he didn't approve of him, Rino wouldn't have been allowed to stay here. If you still have a problem with this, then why don't you come with me to see Kaname?"

Aidou flinched back. "Fine." He began to take his leave. "You know, the other vampires are already weary with you here, let alone one of your servants."

"I'm aware of that, if you can pass along the message I just gave you to your comrades, I'd much appreciate it."

With a frown now on his face, he left Aria alone, leaving her to sigh. It was much too early to deal with matters like that. She then continued on her way to Kaname's room without any further interruption. Without bother to knock, she slowly opened the door. "You're quite bold, entering without knocking."

"And you are quite bold for threatening one of my followers."

Kaname had just gotten out of the bath and was now drying his hair with a towel. "I didn't threaten him."

"He won't tell me what you two talked about yesterday."

"That's his personal choice then."

"I demand you to tell me."

He smirked slightly. "You're in no position to demand anything."

She took the nearest thing to her, a decorative plate, and threw it at him. He dodged easily, but her intention wasn't to harm him anyways. "He's the only thing left dear to me. I will not hold back if you don't tell me."

"Anger is unsightly on your face, but I'm surprised to see you reacting so strongly, like a protective mother."

"And you act as a protective lover towards Yuuki."

"I won't deny that."

"Hypocrite," She spat. "Yuuki is human isn't she?"

"Yes she is…"

"Then if you love her then she should stay that way. Leave her be."

"Is that jealousy I hear?"

Aria glared. "It's common sense, besides we've gotten off topic."

"I only asked for details about your family's current state of affairs, that's all."

"Why?"

"Just for the sake of knowing…" Aria had calmed down at this point and sank into one of the chairs in the room. Kaname raised an eyebrow. "I thought you'd start yelling again."

"I'm tired," She muttered. "Besides, I know you're not lying."

"And how would you know that?"

She laughed weakly. "Because I know you well of course…" She looked him straight in the eyes. "Now that I think about it, I'm probably the only one in this world that knows the most about you."

"And so the former rose bares its thorns…"

"You know I won't try anything. I'm much nearly apathetic now, especially with the news of my brother's marriage. Tell me Kaname, is there anything left for me to gain?"

"You sound weak."

"Maybe I am. I admit, I've admired your strength Kaname. You've dealt with a lot, and are now having to deal with the vampire council. Things are much easier for a pureblood in Italy and the other European countries in that area."

Kaname now sat in a seat across from her. "Your time in Italy has made you lazy," He observed.

"My time in Italy felt like the old days; sometimes I wish to go back to that time."

"Wishful thinking gets you nowhere."

She ignored him. "You and I are damned forever with our few pleasant memories."

"And you wonder why you weren't chosen as the head of the Soren family. Even if you were first born, you might not have become the family head due to your unwillingness to live."

"I feel as if I've lived thousands of lives and a thousand more again. Can you blame me?"

"I guess not." He allowed his head to tilt back to rest on the chair. "I guess I also wish to go back to that time."

"Hey…remember that time in the garden when you…"

"…only because you…"

She laughed softly. "…but it was funny wasn't it?" At this moment Aria's eyes met Kaname's.

He held the gaze for a moment, before speaking. "You're tired. Your servant is in your bed isn't he? You can use mine if you like."

"Has something gone wrong with your head?"

"I was only offering."

Aria laughed and took this as her cue to leave. "I'm not going to sleep in your bed." She went to the door and turned around. "I'll see you later this evening." With a small wave she left the room.

Kaname's thoughts lingered on the other pureblood before he pushed them to the back of his mind. If Yuki had never been born, would things have turned out differently?

Aria took her time walking downstairs and out the door. She was sure that Kaname knew she left the Night Dorms the moment she stepped outside. However, she could care less at the moment and she doubted Kaname could care less at the moment either. The short conversation they had was very much fresh in her mind. It almost made her sick to her stomach, the wave of nostalgia that hit her; and as she dealt with the undesired feeling, she couldn't help but curse his name, Rokuro that is.

If she hadn't met him, if she wasn't drawn by his warmth, the time spent with Kaname wouldn't have ended the way it did. Guilt, it now weighed down upon her like a ton of bricks. If she had never met Rokuro, he may have lived a longer life and Kaname wouldn't have had to gone through such humiliation. It was then Aria came to the sudden realization of how kind Kaname truly was, or at least could be, and yet she couldn't help but be conscious around him. She had to be.

By the time she snapped back to reality from her stream of consciousness, she found that she had already reached the building where the headmaster resides in.

Chocolate.

The chocolate she made for Valentine's Day was probably still in the kitchen's refrigerator. It was only in there for about a week, so it should still be good. Rino would no doubt enjoy a bit of it as well.

After walking down a couple of halls, she noticed that the door to the kitchen was ajar. She sensed who was inside with no trouble at all. Before she could reach for the handle, the door swung open and the oh too familiar sound of a gun sounded out.

"Zero, do you ever go to class?"

"You should be in your dorms," he said reluctantly stowing his gun away.

"Relax, there aren't any students in this building anyways…"

"You're still breaking the rules."

"Kaname didn't stop me from leaving, so I see no problem."

"It's still daylight out."

"I was up early today, so I thought I'd came here and pick something up." She made her way to the fridge, with Zero watching her every move. She quickly scanned the inside and frowned. "Did you see a box in here?"

"Hm, what about it?"

"You ate it."

He looked away. "I didn't eat it."

"You…are…lying. Just admit you ate it."

"He sighed. "How was I supposed to know that you made it? If I knew that, I wouldn't have eaten it."

"Of course you wouldn't," She shut the door closed. "You don't seem like the kind of person to eat chocolate."

He mumbled something incoherent.

"What was that?"

"Nothing…"

Sighing, she crossed her arms. "Well now you owe me and you know what? I'm hungry for a snack." She began her predatory approach, her eyes slightly glowing.

Zero made to grab his gun, but found he couldn't move.

Aria smirked. "See? This is the power of a pureblood." She was able to walk right up to him without him moving a single inch. "But I'm not going to feed off you, yet. I want to give you an offer, so listen closely."

She eyed him closely before continuing. "You have already fallen; there is no way for you to become human again, but…there's a way for you to become a Level C and have your body accept the blood tablets."

He couldn't believe her. "You can do that?"

She nodded. "But before you get too excited, you must know that it's a tricky process. Would you still like to hear it?"

He could only glare at her.

"Wouldn't it be better that way? Then you wouldn't have to keep feeding of Yuki."

"How…"

"Everyone in the Night Class knows. Well? Don't you think an alternative is best?" She paused for a moment. "This…procedure requires me to suck out a lot of your blood and to sustain yourself you must drink mine."

His eyes grew wide with shock.

"I know it doesn't sound pleasant, but think about it? Isn't the reason you ended up like this because you didn't drink your master's blood in the first place? If I bring you near death and give you my blood, then I guess you could say that you'll be turned a second time. I admit this may sound impossible, but I have done this once before. It has been the sort of talent in my family."

She brushed past him. "It's a lot to think about I'm sure. I'll discuss this possible solution with Cross later and I guess it'd be worth mentioning to Kaname as well. He'll undoubtedly find out about it sooner or later anyways."

"Why?" He asked without turning. "Why would you do this?"

"I would be considered heartless for not offering this opportunity to you."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: O.O I barely even know what I'm doing with this story anymore, lol. **

**BUT I finally see a possible way to end this story.**

**God, my mind feels all over the place...and so does this chapter...haha. Review?**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven<strong>

"You shouldn't tell Zero things like that."

"I don't see why not. It wouldn't be disadvantageous to you in any way really." Aria examined her fingernails. "Wouldn't it be better for you and this school if he'd become a C-rank?"

The two purebloods were still on the school grounds, except they didn't join the rest of Night Class in the classroom. Instead they stood outside on one of the terraces. Aria decided that it'd be best to tell Kaname about the offer she made to Zero during class time. This way she could get out of class and not be scolded for it later. Of course, this was assuming Kaname wouldn't get too angry about this matter.

"You must understand what I mean," Aria repeated. "After all, this means he will stop feeding off Yuuki."

"Just because you change him a second time doesn't mean his body will accept the blood tablets after."

"True, but that would give him permission to suck my blood instead. After all, after a pureblood changes a human to a vampire, the newborn usually feeds off the pureblood for a couple months."

"That may be how it's done in Italy, but here I won't allow it. I'm not going to let Zero drink the blood of a pureblood…"

Aria poked him in the chest. "If it's not your blood, then it's not your decision…"

"Then what about the other vampires? They'll going to be able to smell both your and Zero's blood if Zero ends up agreeing to this."

"And here I thought you cared more about your Yuuki dearest than you did about the members of the Night Class." This caused Kaname to fall silent, Aria grinned at this small victory. "Listen Kaname, there is no downside to this."

Kaname laughed softly. "And what of Zero? Once you change him a second time, you will become his master. I think you understand that I'd rather you not gain a new pawn for you to control."

"Please…I want no power at this poor excuse of a school and there is nothing of yours that I want…"

"I want Zero to remain here, because he can help protect Yuuki."

"And I could care less where Zero goes. Even though he may be 'mine' after I change him a second time, I won't be ordering him to do anything for me. He'll be free to do as he pleases."

Kaname sighed. "As usually you prove yourself to be different than most purebloods, you gain nothing from helping him."

"Not really…I gain the sweet feeling of self-satisfaction." She pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I plan on moving back to Italy in a couple of weeks."

"I thought you were adamant in staying away from your brother and sister."

She laughed. "I'm not going back to the main house. I'll move into the summer villa in the countryside just outside Milan. We have vineyards there, so I guess I'll take a break from the fashion world and sell wine or something for a few years"

"Retiring to a quiet lifestyle…it doesn't seem like you…"

"Milan is only an hour or so away by car. I don't want to move into the city; I think Rino would prefer the countryside better, less people to deal with and there's bound to be a few country maidens he'd like to flirt with," Aria leaned over the edge of the terrace. "I look forward to returning home."

"And you'll miss nothing here in Japan?"

She turned her head to look at him with a slight smirk on her face. "Should I?"

Kaname said nothing further on the particular matter. "I'll speak to Cross about Zero."

"Please do." She waved him goodbye and stayed out on the terrace. It was strange; the moon and stars were still the same, but at the same time they weren't the same. They were constants, but she felt like they were always changing whenever she looked up at the sky. Tonight, when she looked up at them, she felt peace. She'd given up her pursuit of becoming head of the Soren family to spend the rest of her life…doing what exactly? She didn't really know. Of course she'd watch over Rino until the day he dies and then after...she didn't know. It used to frighten her, the unknown, but now she sort of accepted it. She accepted that she was a pureblood and that she will continue to live on for the rest of time.

If she fell over the edge of this terrace…would she feel the pain? How much would she bleed? Would she die from the fall? She doubted it.

She once thought death would bring closure, but now she felt death would solve nothing.

Aria was going to leave to the dorms again, to keep Rino company. She walked down the empty halls, enjoying the silence. Kaname had finally gotten off her back about going to classes and the two guardians were nowhere in sight. The solitude she experienced at that moment reassured her in a way. Leaving Cross Academy…it was for the best. There was nothing to be gained within the walls of the school. There was nothing for her to do, except maybe change Zero for a second time. She really hoped Zero would agree to it.

"It feels like the end is closer than I can see, but I know the end will never come." She found herself saying aloud. Admittedly, she wasn't sure what she was talking about, what she was really thinking about or how she was really feeling.

"It's a shame. It seems you've lost your spark."

Aria whipped around on the spot and glared. "You shouldn't be here Dario." Before her stood her older brother, looking as sharp as ever. His red hair was combed back neatly and he wore a tailored suit. "Does Kaname know you're here?"

He gave her a cheeky grin. "He does now…and **you **should be more happy to see me. I'm here to take you home!"

"Don't make me laugh. I don't want to go anywhere with you." She turned around again. "Just leave me alone."

"So you're going to stay at Cross Academy?" He asked amused.

"No…I'm going to the summer villa with Rino in a few weeks."

He frowned. "If you're going back to Italy, then why not come back home."

"Do you understand nothing?" Aria spat. "I don't want to go home because **you **are there. I still don't understand…how could you take over the company? Forget about becoming the head of the family…but the president of the company. I deserved that more than you. I spent so much time and energy and…how could father pick you over me?"

"Simple…I was born first," He answered with a sickening grin.

"You are unbelievable. Get out of my face and go home."

Dario stopped grinning. "I already told you I was bringing you with me. The reason I sent you here was to cool your head. Mother is worried and Renia has expressed her worries as well."

"My head had cooled down, until you showed up. And I doubt Mother and Renia could give a rat's ass about me. It has always been this way Dario and don't you dare say it's not true," She said noticing he was going to cut in. "I've always been the odd one out. I hated growing up in that family; you and Renia, you and Renia, it was always you and Renia."

Dario rolled his eyes. "You had Kaname."

"And he was all I had and that doesn't change that I didn't belong to our family. There was no point in my birth Dario. Don't you get it? A pureblood family only needs two children, one boy and one girl. Any extra and that is a waste. Now get out of my sight before I rip your face off."

"Will you stop this nonsense? If there was no point in your birth, then you wouldn't have been born. Now let's go home."

Aria had it up to here with Dario. "I already said I'm not going home, you deaf baboon! That place is not my home! Father is dead! There's no reason to go there anymore! Besides, Rino couldn't…"

"Will you shut up about Rino? It's always 'Rino this' and 'Rino that'. He's **your **servant Aria. You order him around, not the other way around."

"Rino is the only thing I consider precious to me and if you don't like it fine! I'm not looking for your god damn approval and I surely won't need it." She shoved Dario out of the way, but he grabbed her by the wrist. "Let go of me Dario!"

"You have to listen to me Aria! Calm down and listen to me!"

"I don't want to listen to you! Just let me…" Aria noticed another presence. She managed to look behind her to see Zero with his Bloody Rose pointed at Dario. "Release her."

Dario began to laugh. "And who is this?"

"Who are you?" Zero shot back without answering.

"Put your gun away boy. I can kill you in an instant."

"You won't be killing anyone." Aria growled.

"If he won't leave us alone I will."

"I will kill you before you can touch him."

"What is he to you? He's obviously trash…what kind of person points a weapon at their own kind?"

The next few seconds happened in a flash. Aria tore away from Dario and began attacking him with her bare hands. There were several flashes of fire as well. Just as quickly as the slight chaos started, it stopped, because of Kuran Kaname.

He held Aria back for she had lost all composure. All her anger and hatred had boiled its way to the surface. She wanted nothing more than to kill Dario.

"Calm yourself Aria. Don't forget where you are." Kaname said seriously, glaring at Dario all the while.

Dario, a bit unsettled by Aria's sudden attack, forced a smile. "Nice to see you again, Kaname-kun. It's been a long while since we last saw each other."

Kaname didn't ease his glare. "Zero, take Aria back to the Moon Dorms and keep her there." Sure that Aria wouldn't attack again, Kaname released her, but Zero was reluctant. "Go now Zero. I don't want an enraged vampire wondering around the campus. I wish to speak to Dario privately."

Aria began walking back the dorms already, so Zero had no choice but to follow her. He couldn't lie. He was rather confused. "Who was that man?" He dared to ask.

Aria didn't even bother to slow down to walk beside him, or to turn back to look at him. "My brother…could you not see the resemblance?" She said, her voice erringly calm now. "To think I'd become so angry in front of you of all people…" She began to mutter.

Zero ignored it. "What is he doing here? Does Cross know?"

"Most likely not and he was going to take me back home."

"You're leaving?" He asked a bit surprised. "What about your…"

"Offer? I wasn't planning on leaving today; I was going to go back to Italy in two weeks and live in the summer home. I wouldn't be able to stand living in the main house with my brother and sister."

"Isn't that rude? I didn't even tell you my decision yet."

She shrugged her shoulders. "There's nothing here for me at the Academy. I'm tired of playing my brother's games. I no longer care about the president's position in the company. The only thing that slightly concerns me is you."

"Me?"

Aria stopped walking and turned to look at him. "I've come to like you. I've said it before, but you and I are similar….falling in love with a human." She came closer to him; she didn't fail to notice him moving back. "I'm not going to hurt you, you stupid boy." She continued getting closer until she left a ghost of a kiss on his cheek. "I understand your pain well, and that's why I offered to change you a second time, so that you can find some sort of stability and I might find peace."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: YES! Two chapters in 24 hours! It's about 2:30 in the morning, so sorry for any possible spelling mistakes and whatnot.**

**Alright, so I think there'll only be 2 chapters left after this before this story is FINALLY completed. Ummm...I'll be posting the next chapter sometime next Saturday for sure.**

**This chapter was really hard to write. I wanted to make it clear that although Dario is a pureblood, he doesn't compare to Kaname, since Kaname is WAY older than him anyways if you think about it. I also wanted to portray that Dario isn't exactly...sane? He's a bit of a twisted mindset when it comes to Aria.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<strong>

Dario and Kaname had retreated to an empty classroom as far away from the rest of the night class as possible. Kaname didn't want any of them to do anything unnecessary and to stay out of his confrontation with Dario. As soon as he closed the classroom door, he turned to face the other vampire.

"You are not welcomed at this school Dario."

"You don't look like the headmaster to me, Kaname." The two pureblood males stared each other down, a glare on Kaname's face and a smirk on Dario's. "I don't see why you're angry. Aria is no longer any of your concern. She's my little sister and she is coming home with me."

"Why the sudden interest in taking her home? You were so insistent that I allow her to come to the Academy after your father died."

"They say one of the best ways to destroy someone is to leave them alone with their thoughts and Cross Academy was the best place to leave her. Think about it. This school is practically under your control. The rest of Night Class follows you loyally. Aria has been alone this whole time. I knew it'd only be a matter of time before she broke down. After all, after I killed that cursed Rokuro, she could barely even function. You saw her violent actions today. She's lost it. She's tired. She's given up."

Kaname shook his head. This did not surprise him, but the fact that he had his own sister Yuuki…he was disgusted with Dario. "To think you'd do something like this to your own sister…it sickens me."

"Like I said, this doesn't matter to you. The relationship between you and Aria ended years and years ago. I'll take her home and I will leave this school, just like you want."

"You still haven't told me why you want her home."

Dario smiled. "I can't have a member of my family running around unaccounted for. As the head of my family, I feel like it's my duty to keep Aria under my watchful eye."

"I'm sorry. I won't allow that."

This wiped the smile off Dario's face. "You can't do anything. She's a member of my family. She's mine."

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to? I am older than you by many years and have more power than you can ever hope to gain. If I choose to keep Aria here, then I shall keep her here. She isn't safe with you."

"Is this the voice of an ex-lover I hear?"

"This is the voice of a man who has a heart. Your family was never there for Aria while she grew up. She has always been alone and she truly believes that she remains so to this day. She no longer looks to her own family for comfort or for company or for sympathy or for love. She wants nothing more to do with the Soren family. Leave her be."

"Don't blame me for her 'tragic' childhood or her solitude…"  
>"You have fueled her mind's deconstruction. I'm surprised she was able to function the way she did when she first came to the Academy, very composed, very sure of herself. You don't deserve to live when you've caused her to suffer so…" Kaname uttered with pure malice in his voice.<p>

Dario knew that he probably wouldn't be able to kill Kaname if they started a fight. He wasn't stupid. He'd already rubbed Kaname the wrong way entirely. He didn't think Kaname would hold such strong feelings towards his sister. "I still don't understand why you're fighting so hard against me for her."

"I may not be her lover now, but I will always remember the time we spent together and remember it fondly. Aria is a good-hearted person and that is why I fight against your wishes, in the memory of the relationship we used to have."

"But it's only a memory."

"It doesn't matter if it's a memory or not. I've made up my mind. Aria will not return with you to the Soren Main House."

Dario frowned. "Aria will make that decision."

"She already has. She has no intentions of returning to the main house. She'll be living at the summer home near Milan for the time being. This should suffice for you. She'll be close by, but she won't have to see your pathetic face."

Kaname didn't understand. There was no way for him to understand the way Dario felt.

After Dario had found out about Aria's affair with the human Rokuro, he was enraged. How could his sister fall in love with a human? How could she prefer the company of a human and not the company of her own brother? He admitted it was partially his fault. He spent more time with Renia since they were closer together in age; in fact, sometimes they would blatantly ignore Aria's existence, but wasn't that normal for siblings to do sometimes. As they grew older, he and Renia didn't spend nearly as much time together. Dario had begun flirting and sleeping with different women, but the only one he couldn't seem to charm was his sister. She ignored him whenever he tried speaking to her or she'd run away or avoid him all together. The only times he remember seeing her really was during parties or weddings or funerals, and during those times he only caught a glance of her.

When he killed Rokuro, Aria had gone into an almost hypnotic state. For a few years she refused to get out of bed and refused to drink blood. The servants had to force her to drink. The year she finally got out of bed, she took to walking around the house and spent a lot of her time in the garden outside. He remembered trying to bring up the courage to face her, since he did kill Rokuro, but he still craved her attention. He walked up to the tree she sat beneath. She looked up at him, but didn't move or run away. She only continued watching the fish swim in the pond without a word. Soon enough he began to spend every afternoon with her. At first he didn't say anything to her, he only sat next her, but soon enough he began to talk to her about anything and everything. His secrets, hopes, dreams, wishes, regrets, disappointments, they were all safe with her. Yet, the whole time she would listen and say not one word. Her silence infuriated him to no end, but she listened to everything he said. If he wanted her to go somewhere with him, she'd go. If he wanted her to sleep in bed with him, she would. If he wanted to drink her blood, she'd let him.

This went on for years, and then one day she wasn't in the garden. She wasn't anywhere in the house. He sent out every available servant to search for her, but she came back home on her own, with someone knew. A vampire she had found. He could smell her blood and knew instantly that this new vampire had drunk her blood….his Aria's blood! He made way to attack him, but she blocked his attack and yelled at him. Her words were clear even to this day. She told him how much she hated him, despised him, and how she never wanted to see him again. Had she forgotten the years they had spent together? He had even stayed true to her, caring for her every need and yet she turned on him just like that?

He had hoped that by sending her to Cross Academy, she'd return to that state of being, but that plan had proven fruitless. If he were to kill Rino, would he achieve the result he was searching for? It wasn't safe to say. He only wanted Aria back.

"Aria is mine."

"An engaged man shouldn't hold such desire to someone other than his fiancé," Kaname said.

Dario paled slightly. Did Kaname know? Could Kaname possibly know of his true reason he wanted Aria?

"Tell me Dario, why are you marrying Renia?" Kaname asked.

Why? Why was that? He knew the reason. "It's what's expected of me isn't it? I'd rather just get it over with. Renia has been looking forward to this since we were children. I've put it off until now. Once Aria heard of the marriage, I knew she'd lose all hope in ever becoming the president of the company or head of the family for that matter…" Dario had wanted Aria to go into a state of shock, and the announcement of his engagement could have done the trick. If she had returned to her hypnotic state, he would have cancelled his engagement to Renia, wait a few years and then get Aria to marry him. He'd already made the mistake of not marrying her earlier when he had the chance.

"I suggest you take better care Renia than you had of Aria. If I remember correctly, Renia can be more malicious than Aria."

Dario glared. Kaname knew Dario's intent and it angered him that Kaname had a point. Renia wouldn't take to him breaking the engagement, especially if it was because of Aria.

"Kaname, I'm sure you have other things that are more important to worry about…"

"I do, but this matter is important as well."

"Can you not cut me off?" Dario snapped and was about to continue when the scent of blood filled his nose. He didn't recognize it though. "Who is it?" Dario asked.

"Zero."  
>"And that is…?"<p>

"The boy who I had escort Aria back to her dorm." Kaname frowned. Aria couldn't have started the process already could she? She wasn't in the right state of mind to do so. Trying to change Zero now could possibly put her in danger. He'd have to check just in case.

He made to leave, but Dario stopped him. "I'm not finished with you yet."

"Well I'm finished with you."

"You aren't leaving."

"Move out of the way, before I make you move. I won't hesitate."

Dario glared right back at Kaname, until a new scent of blood filled his nose. "Aria!" His eyes grew wide, because the scent wasn't fading. It was getting stronger and stronger. Was somebody feeding off her? "Where is Aria?"

Kaname was hesitant in allowing Dario to follow him, but knew Dario would do so anyways. "Follow me."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Decided to post earlier, because I'm making faster progress than I thought. **

**Turns out this will have a total of 15 chapters, not 14. So there's two more chapters after this one. I'm pretty sure I can get this story completed by the end of this week! I'm so happy!**

**Anyways, if anyone is slightly confused. This takes place before Dario and Kaname go to see what happened to Zero and Aria.**

**As usual, reviews would be awesome.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen<strong>

Aria walked into the dorm, Zero following behind her.

"Aria-sama!" Rino stood up from the chair he was sitting in and put down his book. He was alarmed to see Zero there.

"It's alright Rino. Kaname wishes Zero to keep an eye on me." She said, removing her jacket and flinging it somewhere across the room.

"Did something happen?"

"Dario." All she had to do was say the name, and Rino's stomach dropped a thousand feet.

"Are you…"

She held up a hand to silence him. "I'm going to take a bath. I want you to call Enzio at the summer house near Milan."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it. I just want you to make sure that the place is habitable." She grabbed a nightdress and stopped in front of Zero. She looked up to him with tired eyes. "Don't fight." With that she went to the bathroom, being sure to shut the door behind her.

Zero wasn't exactly in the best mood. Still slightly confused if anything and the kiss she gave on his cheek felt as though it was burning, even though her lips barely touched his cheek. Only a pureblood could have such an enchanting power, but Zero was still conscious. He just wasn't sure if Aria was sincere in her words or not. Her eyes told him that she was serious, but how could he trust here? He couldn't possibly and yet somewhere within in him…

It was obvious that Aria was broken. Her emotions and actions had become more crazed, for lack of better word, since she first came to the Academy. She struggled to keep the cool collected appearance she held such pride in, and the façade was cracking. Piece by piece the mask began to fall, revealing to Zero that the pureblood vampire, a being he hated with all his might, had a soul, a soul that lived through centuries. Surely it was a soul that had more burdens, regret and sorrow than he could possibly ever imagine.

"…I'm not sure why…she just told me to check…she hasn't told me anything about it…." Rino was busy talking on the phone with the man, or vampire, Enzio. "…I expect she intends to visit soon…I can't think of what business she'd want there…she's in the bath right now. I'll ask her when she comes out….of course, good day to you." Rino hung up, sighed, then turned to Zero. "What happened to Aria-sama?"

Zero frowned. "I didn't do anything to her…"

"I didn't say you did. Did you see Dario?"

Zero nodded.

Rino sighed again. "No wonder Aria-sama is so distressed…this school has brought nothing but trouble to her. What more, I can't even talk to any of the cute human girls here! This place is such bore. I'm surprised she hasn't left earlier." He eyed Zero up and down. "Aria-sama has told me about you."

"What about me?"

"About your problem. If she has offered to help you, you should take it."

"I don't want her help." He said bluntly.

"You're not going to survive if you continue like this. I've seen vampires fall to a Level E state before. It's painful to see…and even more so to kill them. You can trust Aria-sama." Zero highly doubted that and Rino sensed it. "In the Soren family's main house, the older servants told me many things about Aria before I met her. She'd always been alone since she was a child, her father and mother focusing on the company and her older brother and sister playing together. They say the only time she was ever truly happy was when she met Kuran Kaname; they were engaged once."

"Engaged?"

Rino nodded. "It was a long time ago, but Aria chanced to meet a human named Rokuro. She began to see him more often and found comfort in his presence, until she broke off her engagement to Kaname because she had fallen in love with Rokuro. However, romance between a pureblood and a human…" Rino shook his head. "Dario discovered this and killed Rokuro, draining him of his blood and of his life." He paused for a moment. "The older servants say that Aria was never the same since. She acted almost ghost-like, very hollow, until the day she found a Level D vampire, who was in the same position as you. She saved him; even though such a thing had never been done before. She had nothing to gain from helping him. She had nothing to gain from helping me. She's a good person." He reclined himself in a chair. "Aria has always been alone. Anyone she happens to care for, who isn't a pureblood, will die before her, including me. That's why I, personally want you to say yes. Then she'll have you and me…then I won't have to do so much work…"

Zero had a quizzical look on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"When a pureblood changes you into a vampire, they have the power to control you. Once you drink Aria's blood, she will become your master."

"I'm not going to become like you and become her pathetic servant."

"You won't have to." He snapped, angry Zero insulted Aria indirectly. "Aria-sama will give you the choice to follow her if you wish. Otherwise she'll care less. She gave me the choice when she changed me…except…I didn't really have a choice. I had no idea how to live as a vampire…" He ended sheepishly. "But there's always a chance you might change your mind and return to Aria-sama's side. Knowing that puts my mind at ease a bit…I will more likely die before you after all…"

"There's no need to try and convince him Rino. He can make the choice on his own." Aria had come out of the shower, dressed in her nightgown and a towel draped around her shoulders. She sat down in front of her vanity and began brushing her long red hair.

"Let me do it Aria-sama!" Rino said enthusiastically. Talking about Aria to Zero previously made him eager to aid her. Aria sighed, but allowed Rino to take the brush to brush her hair.

Zero watched them in silence. He couldn't help but feel very out of place. The bond between the pureblood and the servant was strong; that fact was as clear as day.

"So Zero, tell me…have you come to a decision yet? I know I only just told you about my offer a couple nights ago, but still. I was wondering if you've given it any thought."

He was silent for a moment, before saying slowly. "Of course I have…but I'm not going to let you suck me dry and I don't want you to become my 'master' or anything…"

"As Rino already told you, I'm not going to force you to come to Italy with me. It's apparent you still have business to attend to here." She said, looking at him through her mirror. "I may have told you already, but you're pretty much as good as dead as you are now. Even if you manage not to fall to Level E, which is highly improbable, who says that the Vampire Council or even the Vampire Hunters won't have you eliminated? I think it'd be best for you to take this chance, because no matter what, you can't reverse what has been done. You will never become a human again."

Zero hated how right she was. "Fine…then do it now."

Rino stopped brushing. "Now?"

"Zero, I doubt this is the right time to do this sort of thing. With Dario storming in out of nowhere and all. Of course, Kaname will want to know what we're doing before I do it."

"Do it now, before I change my mind." He said with determination.

Aria couldn't help but laugh. "I never thought you'd be so demanding. Since the other students are in class, then we should be fine." Aria took a hair tie and pulled her hair into a loose bun. "Rino, you'll have to make sure nobody bothers us, but you'll also have to be mindful that Zero won't drain all of my blood and make sure Zero does not lose consciousness."  
>Rino nodded. "I won't fail you Aria-sama."<p>

Aria walked up to Zero. "Are you sure about this? I'll be bringing you close to death; you'll have to fight hard to not lose consciousness."

"Just do it."

Without hesitation, Aria pulled Zero down and pierced the skin on his neck. The blood rushed into her mouth and Aria felt herself go into a euphoric sort of state. It felt it had been far too long since she drank human…or at least a living thing's…blood. She sucked slowly, enjoying every minute of it.

Zero was starting to feel dizzy and he clung on to Aria for support. She led him to the ground, so he wouldn't have to stand anymore. He started shaking and his mouth was open, as though he wanted to yell or scream, but no sound came out. Soon enough he couldn't feel anything, not the fangs in his throat or his hands or legs. He was struggling to breathe.

Aria pulled out. "Hang in there Zero, almost there…then you can drink from me."

She placed her lips over the wound and began to suck again. Zero's hands clenched Aria's shoulders, before going slightly limp.

"Zero! Zero!" Rino began to shake Zero slightly, while Aria kept sucking.

Zero's eyelids were fluttering as he tried to stay awake. When Aria finally pulled back, he could feel her bring his head up to her neck. "Drink Zero…"

It was hard to even open his mouth…let alone bite her. Noticing this, Aria took her thumbnail and punctured her own skin. She brought Zero back to her neck and he began to suck softly. She petted his hair. "That's it…"

The blood tasted too good. The more he drank the more he craved. He could feel himself become stronger, her blood restoring him with life. His grip on her shoulders strengthened and he sucked from her more forcibly. He wanted more. He wanted Aria. His fangs sank into her soft skin and his human side disappeared completely as he continued to drain her of her life force.

Rino began to pull on Zero. "Zero, that's enough." He tried to detach Zero's fangs from Aria's neck, but Zero pushed him off with ease, sending him to the other side of the room. Rino's eyes grew wide; he'd forgotten how powerful a pureblood's blood could make someone

Aria was very much aware that Zero was starting to take more than he need, but she began to wonder if this could end her life. She wouldn't have minded really, if this was how her life would end. It was almost calming in a way, being held so closely. However, she had not lost all consciousness and she had seen Rino be flung across the room. She must live for Rino's sake.

She pulled on Zero's hair, but it only made him fasten his bite harder. Taking her fingers, she slowly began to pry his fangs out from her and with the last of her strength, she pushed Zero away. Aria was overwhelmed with fatigue and perhaps from the blood loss. She didn't have the strength to keep sitting up and fell to her side, a bit of her blood still flowing from her neck.

"Aria-sama!"

She could hear Rino cry, but she could see him rush over to her, because the world went black.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I don't know if I'll be able to get the last chapter up on Saturday...I have so much to do this week and on Saturday so...mah. But I'll try!**

**Thanks to everyone who has read this story, for the reviews and for people who have stuck through with this story since I uploaded it many months ago. We're finally reaching the end!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen<strong>

Kaname opened Aria's door. It slowly creaked open and the scent of blood flooded out from the room. Aria was in Rino's lap. He was desperately trying to get Aria to drink his blood. He had cut the vein on his wrist and held it her lips. He tried to squeeze it down her throat, but not much would come out. Zero was a couple feet away, on his hands his knees. His entire body was shivering, his eyes a glowing red.

Dario pushed Kaname aside, walking a few steps into the room. His brain was still trying process what he was seeing. He went up to Rino, in a surprisingly calm manner.

Rino was close to tears. "S-she won't drink."

Dario looked at Rino, with eyes that could kill. He took hold of Rino's wrist and licked his wound close, before tossing it aside. "She's not dead." He took her away from Rino and held her in his arms, for the first time in what felt like too long. As he gazed down at her sleeping body, he noticed how her blood stained lips contrasted beautifully with her pale skin. His fingers traced her jawline and removed some of the hair in her face. He then went in to kiss and lick the wound on her neck. Her blood still tasted just as heavenly as it did those many years ago. The skin slowly began the healing process. Dario forced himself to pull back.

She would live; he was sure of it, but the person who did this to her…that was a different story.

"Boy," Dario referred to Zero, who was still in a shivering state. "What have you done? How dare you drink my sister's blood!" His voice thundered.

"Calm yourself Dario, Aria allowed this." Kaname placed a cool hand on his shoulder. "To save Zero from falling to a Level E, she changed him a second time."

Dario scoffed, like the vampire she found long ago. Did his younger sister simply not know any better? "He doesn't deserve Aria's kindness. He put her life in danger."

"If I recall correctly, you're no better." Kaname said, going over to Zero and yanking his chin so he could see his face clearly. He could tell by simply looking into Zero's eyes that he was starting to calm down. The blood thirsty beast within Zero had its fill and Zero was slowly coming back to his senses. He smacked Kaname's hand away. "Get away from me…" Zero managed to croak with a hoarse voice.

"Tch…" In Kaname's eyes there was only disgust. "Aria should have waited a bit longer…she should have known better…Rino." Kaname stood upright again.

Rino got to his feet and appeared before Kaname. "Yes, sir?"

"Clean this room up. The smell of blood is stronger here and the rest of Night Class can smell it."

"But Aria-sama…" He'd rather not leave Aria lone.

"Aria will be fine. I assure you, now hurry up and go."

Rino nodded and reluctantly left the room to go get cleaning supplies.

Kaname now turned to the kneeling Dario who held Aria in his arms. He wanted nothing more than to rip Dario's arms out of his arm sockets. The sight of seeing Dario holding on so lovingly to Aria disgusted him. In the end Kaname had no choice but to let Dario hold Aria. He couldn't leave Dario's hands free to attack Zero at any time. After all, Dario could be rather violent when he wished to be.

"Dario, follow me and take Aria with you. We need to clean her up and bring her to a different room so she can rest. We'll go to Cross' building and explain what happened." Kaname then grabbed Zero by the wrist to pull him to his feet. "You'll be coming with us of course."

Zero yanked himself away. "I can walk on my own."

"I doubt that. You're a newborn now and we can't have you attacking any other students."

The four of them walked in silence. Zero was still shaking ever so slightly. It was strange how he was feeling, like he had more energy or like an adrenaline rush. It felt almost as though he could barely control of himself and this all was because of Aria's blood. Aria….the thought of her made him want to throw up. To think that **he **had become more like the animal and **she **became the victim. How could he have been so weak? He shouldn't have asked her to change him again. Had the procedure even worked? He wasn't sure…he didn't feel hungry anymore…but that was because he nearly sucked Aria dried. The only way to know for sure was when Aria woke up.

* * *

><p><em>In her mind she was floating in a sea of pink flower petals. Their fragrance vaguely resembled that of blood. It soothed her greatly. <em>

"_Aria."_

"_Aria."_

_Two people called out to here, Rokuro and Kaname. The sight of the two also soothed her, even though they were only two people that had loved her once a long time ago. They repeated her name several times over, but it was nowhere near annoying. In fact it lulled her to sleep in her sea of flower petals. Together they brought her heart comfort. _

"_Wake up."_

_Her eyes shot open. This voice didn't belong to Rokuro or Kaname. The image Kaname blew away into dust in the window and the image of Rokuro became doused in blood, sinking into the flower petals below her. _

_Aria stood up abruptly and ran away, as fast and as hard as she could._

"_Wake up."_

"_Wake up."_

"_I love you. I love you. I love you."_

_Were they chasing her? Was the person speaking chasing her?"_

"_Don't you remember our days in the garden? Tell me you remember! You must! I'm sorry! I love you. I love you. I love you."_

_She didn't stop for a second or to catch her breath and ended up running into something…someone._

"_Aria." It was her brother. He held her by the wrists. "Aria, come with me to Italy and we'll return to our days in the garden. You'll be mine forever."_

_For some reason Aria couldn't pull away no matter how much she tried. She struggled and struggled, but then felt something in her hand, a knife. Without hesitation she was able to pull out of his grasp and stab him in the chest. The look in his eyes burned her painfully. His blood bled through his shirt and began to dribble from his mouth. He leaned upon her, trying to hold himself up, but he couldn't last long. He crumpled to the ground, smearing his blood all over Aria's front._

_The knife clattered to the ground._

_Had she gone insane? She despised her brother, but to kill him was going too far. Aria fell to her knees, her hands buried in the hair she wanted to tear out. _

_What the hell?_

_What the hell?_

_What the hell?_

_She began to scream. She screamed her lungs out and she wasn't even sure why she was screaming. However, screams eventually died out and there was silence. At the same time the flower petals disappeared and she surrounded by a black abyss._

_Footsteps._

_She could hear somebody's footsteps drawing nearer and nearer. She looked up to see Zero and his silver gun, which she'd come to hate so much. He held the gun to her head._

"_It's time to wake up," He whispered._

_Aria closed her eyes and heard a gunshot echo throughout the air._

Aria took a deep breath in, before releasing it slowly. Her eyelids fluttered open and she immediately knew she was no longer in her room. She could see Rino pacing back and forth in front of the door. She laughed silently to herself at the idea of somebody bursting in and smacking him in the face in the process.

In her lap she noticed something. She looked down to see Dario there. That's when she noticed that he had been holding her hand. Had he waited long for her to wake up?

"Aria-sama!" Rino had noticed that she'd awaken and sprinted over to the bedside. "How are you feeling?"

"Thirsty." She licked her dry lips.

Dario lifted his head, but didn't release her hand. With his free one, he cupped her cheeks. "You're awake."

She smacked his hand away. "Don't touch me."

He frowned. "Come now you're thirsty…" He began to pull up his sleeve, but she stopped him. "If I'm drinking anyone's blood it will be Rino's."

"My blood is better than his Aria." Dario argued. "You will feel better sooner."

"Then where is Kaname?" Aria asked. At this point she'd rather drink Kaname's blood than Dario's, if Kaname would let her of course.

"Kaname is with the headmaster. So please, just drink now."

Aria admitted that she had never seen this sort of look on Dario's face any time before. Then again, she rarely saw much of her brother in the first place. She succumbed to his wishes and bit down. She took a few gulps and could already feel it rejuvenating her body. For some reason the taste of his blood made her want to cry.

Dario didn't hesitate to wipe her tears away. "Why are you cying?"

She smacked his fingers away again and pushed his arm to the side. "Don't touch me. Rino." She said sharply, startling Rino a bit. "Wait outside, I want to talk to my brother in private."

"But Aria-sama…"

She took Rino's hand and smiled. "I'll be fine Rino."

Her servant nodded and left the room, leaving the two siblings alone. "Dario…I want you to tell me about the garden."

"You mean…you still don't remember it?" Dario asked. She looked at him expectantly and he sighed. "After…you remember what happened to you after I killed that human Rokuro?"

"Not really," She answered honestly. "I was in a bit of a daze, but I kind of got myself together after finding Sena, that Level D vampire…"

Dario wasn't really sure how he could possibly explain the garden to his sister. It would no doubt make her more upset. "I killed Rokuro, because one, a romantic relationship between a pureblood and human…it was inconceivable at the time and…it angered me that you'd rather spend time with a mere human than with me. I admit that I'm at fault for blatantly ignoring you for most of your childhood, but I began to notice that I had just about every person in the female population eating out of the palm of my hands, except you. You've always avoided the rest of the family; if I ever tried to approach you, you'd always run away or be sure to ignore me. But while you were in your dazed sort of state, I could get close to you. I could talk to you. I could touch you. You spent most of your time in the garden, and that was where we'd spend most of our time. You never talked back to me, but believe me when I say that I told you everything about me, my fears, desires, and regrets. But when you found that vampire, everything returned to normal and your hate for me surfaced."

Aria didn't get it. "Then why are you marrying Renia?"

"Because…I thought that if you heard about our marriage, you'd return to that state. Then you'd be mine again. I realized this after father's death and when he named me his successor in the company and as the family head. I knew that alone had put you on the edge; I thought the news of marriage would completely tip you over."

"And so you were going to marry Renia and keep me as some sort of…mistress?" She asked hotly.

"I would have cancelled the engagement with Renia and married you!" Dario said hastily.

Aria scowled. "You disgust me. Renia wouldn't have stayed quiet if you'd done that."

"Then I would kill her before she'd kill either you or me to get what she wanted." He said with all seriousness.

"Have you gone mad?"

"I don't care if I am or not." He said, getting slightly hysterical. He held onto Aria by the shoulders. "You must understand me Aria."

Aria raised her hand and hesitated a moment, before running the back of her fingers down her brother's cheek. "Dario…I don't think I'll ever love you the way you love me, but I am ready to forgive you for everything you've done. I'll even go to your silly wedding if you'd like."

Dario bit his lip, but accepted Aria's answer. "I understand. Your forgiveness...that's enough for me...for now. And I don't think there will be a wedding after all."

"What! But I…"

"I know, but we still have the rest of eternity. You could fall in love with me yet, until then I won't marry until you do."

"Dario…"

"Renia will be upset of course, but she'll have the rest of forever to get over it."

Aria found herself smiling. She didn't understand why she was. Perhaps it was because she had finally let go of Rokuro's death entirely or maybe because she was able to reconcile with her brother. "This a strange feeling…like a feeling of relief almost." She found herself saying aloud.

Dario hugged his sister closely. "It's not so strange. I feel it too."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Gak...I couldn't post Saturday because it felt like a million things came up at once. Plus I wanted to make sure I got it just the way I wanted it. So once again: Thank you to all who've read this story and to all who've reviewed. It means a lot!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen<strong>

A few days had passed and Dario insisted that Aria stayed in bed. To much of her annoyance, he didn't leave her bedside the whole time she was declared bed-ridden.

Kaname had visited twice, once each night usually before he went to class. The first time he expressed how foolish she was to agreeing to Zero's demand when she wasn't in the right state of mind. The second time was just to check up on her and to talk to her brother about how long he was planning to stay at the academy.

Since there was no reason to stay at the academy any longer, she decided that she and Rino would be leaving for Milan at the end of the week. Dario pleaded for her to return to the main house, but Kaname stood up for her, saying it'd be best for her health to spend a few years in the country side. She couldn't help but laugh.

Cross had come to visit her within that time span. He cried when he heard the news of her leaving the Academy so soon. However he reluctantly brought her the papers she needed to file before she could leave.

By the end of the week, she'd finally be returning home.

However, one thing has bothered her during her final days at the Academy. She didn't fail to notice Zero's absence; she hadn't seen him since that night she changed him a second time. Aria was tempted to search him out herself, but, in all honesty, there wasn't anything really left to say to the boy.

"Aria-sama."

Aria looked up from her steaming cup of tea. She was sitting in the main lobby of the office building. "Have you finished Rino?"

"Yes…I packed all your heavy bags **and **carried **each and every one **down to the front gates."

She stifled a laugh. "I'm sure it wasn't that much of an arduous task for you. Here." She held out her cup of tea to him.

He took it with a frown. "And now you want me to throw out your tea? I just made that for you."

"No…sit down and have a sip or two…Dario is still speaking with Kaname and since we'll be taking the same flight, we'll have to wait for them to finish."

"Thank you Aria-sama." He thanked her slightly surprised and sat down. After taking a sip, he spat it back out as politely as he could. "I forgot I don't like chamomile…"

"Well isn't that unfortunate," She said with a hint of a smirk in her eye as she took the cup back.

"Aria-sama…"

"I'm sorry for teasing you Rino and for making you do so much work lately…if I knew where Zero was I'd make him do the work instead…or at least help you." She chuckled to herself, her finger rimming the edge of the tea cup. She stopped suddenly because she felt someone lurking behind the door and called out before they could leave. "Come in Zero." She said loud enough so he could hear her.

Rino raised an eyebrow when nobody came into the room.  
>"Zero…I said…'come in'." Aria repeated, more demanding this second time.<p>

The door creaked open slowly and in came in Zero. He looked better than when she last saw him, of course he did. He was more calm and collected, despite the obvious look of resentment on his face. "I thought you weren't going to order me around."

"How else was I going to get you to come in here? Besides…you've been avoiding me like the plague, which is odd since you're usually breathing down my neck like a rabid dog."

"Ah…" Zero sat uncomfortably in the chair across from Aria. Truth be told, he had been avoiding her all week. He didn't bother to visit her or to even take part in his guardian duties for the past few nights.

"So tell me Zero, have you been doing well? You can last longer without blood now right? And longer in Yuuki's presence I'm guessing?"

"Hm…"

"Eh…" She rested her chin on her right hand, her elbow atop the table. Zero was being annoyingly unresponsive again. "Tell me…have you taken to the blood tablets any better?"

He nodded.

Aria frowned. "Well, is there a reason why you're here? I'm leaving for Italy as soon as Dario and Kaname have stopped chatting. If you have something to say, then say it." Zero crossed his arms and glanced over to Rino quickly before glancing back at Aria. She hid her smile behind her palm. "Rino, why don't you leave the two of us alone for a moment?"

"Che…I slave for you day by day and I don't even get to listen in!" Rino pouted, crossing his arms.

"You can leave my side anytime you wish Rino. Honestly, I don't know why you complain so much…"

Rino ignored Aria and shot a face at Zero, before leaving the room.

"Look, you've made him upset…so, what is it? Did you want something or…?"

"No. I just…" Zero knew he should thank her, but…how on earth could he? His ego wouldn't let him take such a blow to his pride. He ended up falling silent again and sighing.

Aria sat up in her seat and leaned in slightly towards Zero. "There's no reason to dwell on this matter any longer." She said, referring to the event that transpired a few nights ago. "What's done is done. Now you don't have to worry about harming Yuuki as often anymore. You wish only to protect her, correct?"

"I want to protect all the humans at this school."

She smiled faintly. "Of course you do. However, I'll still present my invitation to you. It doesn't matter if it's a few months from now or decades from now: if you ever care to join me in Italy, then you'll be welcomed with open arms."

Instead of outright refusing the invitation, Zero bit his tongue and thanked her. "If I ever decide to do so, then I will."

"I have a feeling you will…in the distant future of course." She closed her eyes and began to imagine the place she called home. "Italy is such a marvelous place and Milan is such a wonderful city. We'd go to fashion shows and parties every night. We can drink as much blood as we need. When we tire of the bustling city, we'll rest in the house in the countryside. The air seems so much cleaner there and the night about ten times brighter. If I were to die and go to heaven…that is what heaven would be like." She opened her eyes again.

"I hate parties."

Aria barked with laughter. "I've forgotten how anti-social you are! Getting out and about will do you some good. Then you wouldn't be so cranky all the time. I realize you have a dark past and that your hatred for vampires is drawn from it; however, your hatred will only hold you back and keep you from moving on from your past." With a satisfied sigh, she stood to her feet and began to exit the room. Before she left, she stopped next to Zero and placed a kiss atop his head, then ruffled his hair. "You're a good kid Zero."

He whacked her hand away and growled. "I'm 17"

"And I'm easily over 2000 years old." She retorted. "You will always be a baby to me. I hope you do well for yourself in the future." Meaning this to be her last farewell, she went towards the door. Zero stood up to follow. "What are you now? A baby duckling?"

"No," He snapped. "I can't have you wondering around unattended."

Aria rolled her eyes, but smiled anyways. "Now that's the Zero I know and love, but to your disappointment I'm going out to the car. Dario and Kaname have finished their brief meeting." She reached for the door handle, and it moved on its own, revealing Kaname and Dario on the other side.

"What is he doing here?" Dario growled.

"We were in the midst of saying 'goodbye' that's all. Right Zero?"

Zero nodded. Kaname looked to the guardian. "Night Class has started Zero. Shouldn't you be attending your guardian duties?"

"I was on my way." Zero answered, eyebrows furrowed. He brushed past the two purebloods only to be pulled back by Aria. Before he could ask her what she was doing, she pulled him in close so that her mouth was right next to his ear. "Remember…you were born a human and even now…your heart and your soul remain human." She whispered, kissing him on the cheek. "I truly wish the best for you."

Zero pulled back lightly when she finished speaking. He found himself trapped in her dark eyes; they were full of sincerity. He couldn't deny this fact. He still had many questions for her and probably many more things to say to her, and yet, avoiding her gaze he muttered, "Thank you," and left to perform his duties. In some ways he felt that things would go back to normal…or as normal as they could be with Aria's departure. However, there was something different. Perhaps this difference was in the air or atmosphere of the academy or perhaps this difference was within him. Zero decided not to question this difference any longer and simply accepted it for what it was. Aria was gone, but he could still feel her lips on his cheek and he could even sense her blood running through his veins.

Kaname walked the Sorens, and Rino, to the front gate to see them off. The three of them went into the car, Rino in the front seat and Dario and Aria in the back. As they drove off, Aria watched Cross Academy grow smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. It was funny…how she had entered the Academy practically in rage and yet now she left in an almost peace-like state. Rino kept glancing in the rearview mirror to look at Aria and noticed the sort of dazed look on her face. "Is there something wrong, Aria-sama?"

"No…it's just…I guess I left a part of myself at the Academy."

Dario, who was busily working on his laptop, glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "What on Earth are you talking about? Did you forget something? Do we need to go back to get it?"

Aria shook her head. "No…I just feel…that there is one part of this Academy that I will miss."

"Pray tell…what could that be?" Dario questioned.

She simply shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't matter really…I'm positive I will see it again." She said and fell silent, dropping the issue altogether. Her thoughts lingered on the silver-haired guardian a few moments longer, before she pushed him to the back of her mind. She wasn't worried and she wasn't sad.

The thing about 'forever' is that it is endless. 'Time' is never ending…it is always continuing, moving forward. Soren Aria had 'forever' and so she had an endless amount of 'time', an endless amount of time to travel the world, an endless amount of time to love those she loved, an endless amount of time to forgive what must be forgiven, and an endless amount of time to wait.

She was positive that one day he would return to her.

One day they will meet again.


End file.
